Nigerian security forces are searching for 24 girls abducted from a boarding secondary school in Maga, Kebbi state; one student escaped and the school's vice-principal was killed. In a separate incident, gunmen attacked a church service in Eruku, Kwara state, in a recorded raid that killed two people and wounded another. President Tinubu has ordered the highest security alert and deployed forces, while the vice‑president visited victims' families. The violence comes amid broader conflicts involving jihadists and bandit gangs that target communities across northern Nigeria.
Nigeria Launches Major Search After 24 Schoolgirls Kidnapped; Separate Church Raid Kills Two
Nigerian security forces are searching for 24 girls abducted from a boarding secondary school in Maga, Kebbi state; one student escaped and the school's vice-principal was killed. In a separate incident, gunmen attacked a church service in Eruku, Kwara state, in a recorded raid that killed two people and wounded another. President Tinubu has ordered the highest security alert and deployed forces, while the vice‑president visited victims' families. The violence comes amid broader conflicts involving jihadists and bandit gangs that target communities across northern Nigeria.
11:10 AM, 11/20/2025Security
Security forces in Nigeria intensified searches on Wednesday for 24 schoolgirls abducted from a secondary school in Maga, Kebbi state, after unidentified gunmen seized them during the night between Sunday and Monday. One girl escaped and the school's vice-principal was killed in the raid.
Abduction in Kebbi
Officials say the attack on the boarding school occurred overnight, with armed men overpowering security and taking dozens of students. Authorities confirmed one girl managed to flee; the school's vice-principal died in the incident. State police and military units have been deployed to the area and are conducting coordinated search operations.
Filmed Church Attack in Kwara
Separately, gunmen attacked a church service in Eruku, Kwara state, on Tuesday. A church camera recorded the assault: the footage shows gunfire interrupting the service, children screaming, and attackers pursuing worshippers while others seized valuables. Police said two men were killed and a third person wounded. Local vigilante groups assisted police in responding and forcing the attackers to flee into bushland.
Government Response
Information Minister Mohammed Idris said the president has placed the nation's security apparatus on its highest alert and ordered active deployments to pursue and neutralize terrorists, bandits and criminal elements. Vice‑President Kashim Shettima traveled to Kebbi to meet victims' families and coordinate the response, pledging:
"We'll use every instrument of the state to bring these girls home and ensure that the perpetrators of this wickedness pay the full weight of justice."
President Bola Tinubu also confirmed the recent death of an army brigadier general, Musa Uba, who was wounded and abducted after an ambush in Borno state. Uba was the highest‑ranking military officer to die in the conflict with jihadist groups since 2021.
Wider Context
Nigeria faces multiple, overlapping security challenges: jihadist insurgencies in the northeast, armed bandit gangs in the north and sporadic communal violence. These groups carry out kidnappings, ransom operations and violent raids that often affect both Christian and Muslim communities. State police noted that the students taken in the Kebbi attack were Muslim.
The incidents have drawn international attention and sparked debate about religiously motivated violence. Earlier this month, former U.S. President Donald Trump warned of possible action over claims that Christians were being targeted in Nigeria — a narrative rejected by the Nigerian government, which says the violence is complex and indiscriminate. Nigerian authorities say they are in security cooperation talks with international partners to address the threats.
Security operations continue in both Kebbi and Kwara states as officials seek to locate the kidnapped girls and bring those responsible for the violence to justice.