Gunmen struck a boarding school in Maga, Kebbi state at about 4:00 a.m., abducting 25 girls and killing one staff member while wounding another. The attackers exchanged fire with guards and fled with the students, police said. A coordinated search of nearby forests and likely escape routes is under way to recover the students. The incident is the latest in a wave of school kidnappings across northern Nigeria since the 2014 Chibok abductions.
25 Girls Abducted from Kebbi Boarding School; One Staffer Killed as Search Continues
Gunmen struck a boarding school in Maga, Kebbi state at about 4:00 a.m., abducting 25 girls and killing one staff member while wounding another. The attackers exchanged fire with guards and fled with the students, police said. A coordinated search of nearby forests and likely escape routes is under way to recover the students. The incident is the latest in a wave of school kidnappings across northern Nigeria since the 2014 Chibok abductions.
08:52 PM, 11/17/2025Security
Gunmen Kidnap 25 Students from Kebbi Boarding School; One Staff Member Killed
Gunmen attacked a boarding high school in northwestern Nigeria before dawn on Monday, abducting 25 schoolgirls and killing one staff member while wounding another, police said.
The raid occurred at about 4:00 a.m. at the boarding school in Maga, Danko-Wasagu local government area of Kebbi state, according to police spokesperson Nafi’u Abubakar Kotarkoshi. Kotarkoshi said the assailants were armed with "sophisticated weapons" and exchanged gunfire with the school's guards before seizing the students from their dormitories.
"A combined team is currently combing suspected escape routes and surrounding forests in a coordinated search and rescue operation aimed at recovering the abducted students and arresting the perpetrators," the spokesperson added.
Context: The attack is the latest in a long pattern of school kidnappings in northern Nigeria, where armed groups have targeted pupils since 2014, when Boko Haram abducted 276 schoolgirls from Chibok, Borno state.
Kidnappings have become common across parts of northern Nigeria, where dozens of armed groups exploit a limited security presence to attack villages and major roads. Many victims are freed only after ransoms are paid, which can run into thousands of dollars.
In March 2024, more than 130 schoolchildren were rescued after spending over two weeks in captivity in Kaduna state. Since the Chibok abductions, at least 1,500 students have been kidnapped nationwide, and nearly 100 of the original Chibok girls remained in captivity as of 2024.
The police-led operation is ongoing. Authorities have appealed for anyone with information about the attackers or the students' whereabouts to come forward to assist the rescue effort.