Gunmen Kidnap 25 Girls from High School, Kill at Least 1 Staff Member

Gunmen stormed a school in northwestern Nigeria, killing the vice principal and kidnapping 25 girls, authorities said.

According to the Nigeria Police Force, a group of armed men carrying sophisticated weapons attacked the Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga, Kebbi state, on Monday, November 17. The suspects opened fire as they broke into the school.

Despite a response from police tactical units, the attackers had already scaled the school fence and abducted 25 students from the girls’ hostel, taking them to an unknown location. One staff member was injured during the attack, while the vice principal, Malam Hassan Makaku, was shot and killed trying to block the door, according to a teacher cited by The New York Times.

Police, the military, and local volunteer groups immediately launched a rescue mission to find the girls and apprehend the attackers. “A combined team of additional Police tactical units, military personnel and Vigilantes has been deployed in the area and they are currently combing the bandits’ routes and nearby forest, with a view to rescue the abducted students and possibly arrest the perpetrators of the dastardly act,” officials said.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack so far, the Associated Press reported.