One of the schoolgirls abducted on Sunday from Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Kebbi State has escaped and reunited with her family.
The school principal, Musa Rabi Magaji, confirmed to the Associated Press (AP) that the girl broke free shortly after the attack. He added that another student who was not among the 25 officially listed as abducted also fled the scene minutes after the gunmen struck.
“One is part of the 25 abducted, and the other one returned earlier,” Magaji said, noting that both girls are “safe and sound.”
Vanguard had earlier reported that the attackers killed the school’s vice principal and that several unidentified bodies were discovered within the school premises.
A source said the assailants “came in mass numbers at night and began shooting sporadically before they gained access to the school.”
Reacting to the incident, Minister of Information Mohammed Idris said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has reaffirmed that the safety of Nigerians, particularly schoolchildren, remains a priority of his administration. He condemned the attack as a “reprehensible assault on innocent students” and the killing of school officials performing their duties.
Idris said security and intelligence agencies have been directed to immediately locate and rescue the abducted students and ensure the perpetrators are prosecuted. He added that the Federal Government is enhancing internal security by improving military, police, and intelligence capabilities, while strengthening regional cooperation with ECOWAS, the African Union, and the Multinational Joint Task Force to dismantle terrorist networks across West and Central Africa.
Meanwhile, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Waidi Shaibu, has ordered troops under Operation FANSAN YANMA to intensify the search-and-rescue mission. During his visit to Kebbi on Monday, he instructed soldiers to maintain continuous operations until all the abducted schoolgirls are found.
International organisations, including UNICEF, have condemned the attack and called for immediate measures to protect schools and secure the safe return of the missing students.
