Instructor Fatally Shot and 25 Girls Abducted in Gunbattle at School in Nigeria
Armed assailants have killed a teacher and abducted at least 25 students in an raid targeting a female high school in the northwestern part of Nigeria, according to police.
The gang of attackers invaded the comprehensive secondary school for girls in Maga, Kebbi State at around 4 AM local time on the beginning of the work week, police confirmed.
The assailants "engaged police personnel on duty in a firefight" before breaching the school's outer barrier and abducting the learners from their living quarters, authorities disclosed.
An educational worker was killed while trying to protect the students. A second sustained gunshot wounds and is now undergoing medical care.
Observers recounted a considerable contingent of armed individuals, identified in the area as outlaw groups, who appeared discharging weapons intermittently to generate terror.
Community members disclosed to media that the gunmen subsequently marched a number of girls into adjacent wilderness.
The authorities announced they had sent "supplementary tactical squads, in coordination with armed forces and local protection units" to the area.
A organized locating and saving mission is currently ongoing in nearby woodlands and potential getaway paths.
In the past few years, schools in northern Nigeria have regularly come under attack for militant organizations, who often carry out abductions to request monetary settlements or secure advantages in discussions with officials.
The incident in Kebbi State emphasizes the ongoing security challenge plaguing the region, causing relatives in Maga in a state of fearful exhaustion as they wait and hope for their young ones' unharmed reappearance.
Safety emergency in Nigeria's northern territories has intensified significantly in the past few months, with schools suffering the most of the unrest.
Key Points
- Weapon-carrying assailants stormed a girls' school in the northwestern part of Nigeria
- One teacher was killed while protecting students
- At least 25 female students were abducted from their hostel
- Security forces have launched a rescue operation in surrounding areas
- Learning center raids have grown more frequent in Nigeria's northern regions
