THE CHIEF of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant-General Waidi Shaibu, has directed troops of Operation FANSAN YANMA to intensify efforts to secure the release of students abducted from a school in Kebbi State.
The directive follows an attack early Monday on the Government Girls Comprehensive Senior Secondary School (GGCSS) in Maga, located in the Danko/Wasagu LGA.
According to police and military reports, armed assailants stormed the boarding school around 4 a.m. local time. The gunmen, employing coordinated tactics and armed with rifles, engaged police in a firefight before scaling the perimeter fence.
During the assault, the Vice Principal of the school, Hassan Yakubu Makuku, was shot and killed while resisting the attackers. An additional staff member sustained gunshot injuries. The assailants abducted 25 female students from the facility.
During an operational tour to the state on Monday, Lt.-Gen. Shaibu addressed frontline commanders and troops, charging them to conduct intelligence-driven operations and maintain a relentless pursuit of the abductors. “We must find these children. Act decisively and professionally on all intelligence. Success is not optional,” Shaibu stated.
The COAS also engaged with local vigilance groups and hunters, describing them as critical partners in the operation. He urged these groups to leverage their knowledge of the local terrain in collaboration with security forces to locate and neutralise the criminal elements. “Together, we will restore peace and ensure children can attend school safely,” he added.
In a condolence visit to the Traditional Ruler of Danko, Alhaji Abubakar Allaje, and the Principal of GGCSS Maga, Hajiya Rabi Magaji, the COAS assured them of the military’s unwavering commitment to rescuing the abducted students unharmed.
Police spokesperson Nafiu Abubakar Kotarkoshi confirmed that additional tactical police units, soldiers, and local vigilantes have been deployed to comb suspected escape routes and surrounding forests in an ongoing search-and-rescue operation.
The incident is the latest in a series of mass kidnappings for ransom by armed gangs in northwest Nigeria, a region that continues to face significant security challenges.
