Teacher Killed and Two Dozen Pupils Seized in Gunbattle at Educational Institution in Nigeria
Weapon-carrying attackers have killed a teacher and kidnapped no fewer than 25 pupils in an attack on a female high school in the northwestern part of Nigeria, police reports indicate.
The gang of attackers stormed the public educational institution for female students in Kebbi State's Maga area at approximately 04:00 local time on Monday, authorities reported.
The armed individuals "exchanged fire with security forces on duty in a gun duel" before scaling the perimeter fence and taking the pupils captive from their dormitory, an official report indicated.
An educational worker was fatally shot while defending the students. An additional employee received firearm injuries and is now receiving treatment.
Eyewitnesses described a sizeable number of assailants, referred to locally as criminal elements, who came shooting randomly to generate terror.
Local residents disclosed to media that the attackers afterwards forced a contingent of young women into surrounding rural areas.
The authorities announced they had sent "additional police tactical units, in coordination with armed forces and local protection units" to the area.
A systematic finding and recovery effort is underway in surrounding forests and believed flight corridors.
In the last several years, schools in northern Nigeria have become frequent targets for armed groups, who often carry out abductions to demand financial compensation or secure advantages in discussions with officials.
The assault in Kebbi State highlights the persistent security crisis troubling the locality, causing relatives in Maga in a condition of terrified weariness as they expect and desire their daughters' safe return.
Protection challenge in northern Nigeria has escalated dramatically in the past few months, with schools suffering the most of the unrest.
Important Details
- Armed attackers stormed a girls' school in Nigeria's northwest
- One teacher was killed while protecting students
- No fewer than 25 girl pupils were kidnapped from their dormitory
- Protection agencies have launched a rescue operation in surrounding areas
- Learning center raids have become increasingly common in Nigeria's northern regions
