Gun-wielding individuals have killed a teacher and kidnapped no fewer than 25 pupils in an raid targeting a girls' secondary school in the northwestern part of Nigeria, authorities have confirmed.
The criminal group invaded the Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Kebbi State's Maga area at approximately 04:00 local time on the start of the week, authorities reported.
The attackers "exchanged fire with security forces on duty in a firefight" before climbing over the boundary wall and seizing the students from their dormitory, authorities disclosed.
An educational worker was fatally shot while defending the students. An additional employee received firearm injuries and is now undergoing medical care.
Eyewitnesses described a considerable contingent of armed individuals, known locally as bandits, who appeared discharging weapons intermittently to cause panic.
Community members informed journalists that the gunmen subsequently marched a contingent of young women into nearby bushland.
The authorities announced they had sent "additional police tactical units, together with army members and vigilante groups" to the area.
A organized locating and saving mission is currently ongoing in nearby woodlands and suspected escape routes.
In the past few years, educational institutions in Nigeria's north have regularly come under attack for armed groups, who often carry out abductions to request monetary settlements or leverage deals with the government.
The assault in Kebbi State underscores the continuing safety emergency plaguing the region, causing relatives in Maga in a condition of terrified weariness as they anticipate and pray for their daughters' safe return.
Protection challenge in Nigeria's northern territories has worsened considerably in recent months, with learning centers suffering the most of the conflict.
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