Gunmen attacked a high school in northwestern Nigeria before dawn on Monday, abducting 25 schoolgirls and killing at least one staff member, in a tragic incident that has left communities and families devastated.
The community is left in anguish and confusion, as no group immediately claimed responsibility for abducting the girls from the boarding school in Kebbi State, leaving their motivation unclear and intensifying the distress among families and locals.
Oluwole Ojewale, security analyst at the Institute for Security Studies, reflected on the national pain and unresolved trauma.
Ojewale also expressed deep concern about the emotional weight these school abductions carry.
Police said the boarding schoolgirls were forcefully taken from their dorms at 4 a.m. on Monday, a detail that has shocked parents and guardians struggling with fear and heartbreak.
The school, located in Maga in the Danko-Wasagu area, now stands as a symbol of collective mourning and anxiety, according to police spokesperson Nafi’u Abubakar Kotarkoshi.
Kotarkoshi added that the assailants, armed with “sophisticated weapons,” brazenly exchanged fire with guards before carrying out the abduction. The violence and boldness of the attack have intensified local outrage and fear for the safety of children across the region.
Nigeria says more schoolchildren have been abducted in the country’s volatile north and the country continues to film from complex security challenges. The emotional toll is heavy as amorphous groups of armed bandits, who specialize in kidnapping for ransom, have traumatized hundreds of families across the northern region through high-profile abductions, often demanding exorbitant sums.
