Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi State – Armed gangs terrorizing northern Nigeria, commonly referred to as bandits, have attacked the Government Girls Comprehensive Senior Secondary School (GGCSS) in Maga, Danko Wasagu area of Kebbi State.
According to reports from HumAngle on Monday morning, November 17, the bandits shot and killed the school’s vice principal, Hassan Yakubu Makuku, injured the principal, and abducted an unspecified number of female students.
A resident, Aliyu Yakubu, revealed that the attack occurred around 5 a.m., saying, “The attack has created panic among residents of Maga. We are now in fear and mourning.”
He added that the school leadership was targeted while trying to protect the students: “He (the VP) was shot as he tried to protect his students from being taken by the bandits. It’s a great loss for the community and the school.”
Police Yet to Comment
As of this report, the Kebbi State Police Command has not issued an official statement. Nafiu Abubakar, the police spokesperson, did not respond to multiple calls seeking comment.
Banditry and Security Challenges in Nigeria
Bandits have long plagued central and northwestern Nigeria, engaging in village raids, cattle rustling, and kidnappings for ransom. In recent years, their attacks have increasingly targeted schools, with students abducted and taken to forest hideouts for ransom negotiations.
These attacks differ from the northeast operations of Boko Haram, which gained global attention in 2014 for abducting over 270 schoolgirls from Chibok, Borno State.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has called for urgent reforms to Nigeria’s security framework to tackle such threats. His administration has emphasized a commitment to ending insecurity, though mass kidnappings remain a significant challenge alongside ongoing armed conflicts in the northeast and separatist tensions in the southern region.
In a related security operation, a joint team of security forces and local vigilantes recently killed notorious Kebbi bandit kingpin, Maigemu, at Kuncin Baba in Arewa Local Government Area. AbdulRahman Usman-Zagga, the state’s director of security, confirmed that Maigemu was killed after a fierce gun battle in the remote, rugged terrain.
