Two Kebbi schoolgirls escape from bandits camp

A schoolgirl abducted alongside 24 others from a dormitory in Kebbi has escaped, according to Musa Rabi Magaji, principal of Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga.

Magaji told the Associated Press (AP) on Tuesday that the student returned home late Monday, hours after bandits invaded the school.

He said another student managed to flee during the raid before the gunmen seized the others.

“They are safe and sound,” he said.

Bandits attacked the school before dawn on Monday and scaled the perimeter fence to gain entry, according to the police.

The attackers exchanged gunfire with police officers before abducting the girls and killing Hassan Yakubu Makuku, the vice-principal of the school.

The Kebbi school is located close to flashpoints in Zamfara and Sokoto, where several gangs maintain hideouts.

A video shows the two escaped girls sitting quietly among relatives and villagers, with their heads covered in hijabs.

Security forces and local hunters have intensified search operations across nearby forests, officials said.

Teams have also been deployed along major routes leading out of the area.

Governor Nasir Idris of Kebbi visited the school on Monday and pledged efforts to secure the release of the abducted students.

Chief of Army Staff Waidi Shaibu met soldiers hours after the attack and ordered “intelligence-driven operations and relentless day-and-night pursuit of the abductors,” according to a statement issued by the army.

He said: “We must find these children. Act decisively and professionally on all intelligence. Success is not optional.”