Speaker Condemns Killing, Abduction of 25 Girls in Kebbi School Attack

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, has vehemently condemned the brutal attack on Government Girls’ Comprehensive Senior Secondary School, Maga, in Kebbi State, where heavily armed bandits abducted at least 25 female students and tragically killed a school official. The Speaker’s denunciation, issued in a statement on Monday, described the pre-dawn raid as “unfortunate, gruesome and despicable,” highlighting the repeated failures in securing educational institutions across the Northwest.

The horrific incident unfolded in the Danko Wasagu Local Government Area late Sunday night when bandits, often referred to as terrorists by state officials, invaded the school premises. Witnesses and security reports indicate the attackers moved aggressively, shooting intermittently before making their way into the school’s hostels and whisking away the students. Initial police reports confirm that the school’s Vice Principal, Malam Hassan Yakubu Makuku, was fatally shot during the attack, while a security guard also sustained gunshot injuries, underscoring the violence with which the assailants carried out their operation. The gunmen are reported to have fled toward neighboring Zamfara State with the kidnapped students.

Speaker Tajudeen Abbas responded to the crisis by urgently calling on all security agencies to initiate a swift and coordinated rescue operation. He stressed that a failure to secure the safe return of the abducted girls and prevent future incidents of this nature carries grave implications for the country’s social fabric and its future development. The Speaker noted that schools must, at all times, remain sacred and safe spaces for children, particularly in regions already traumatized by insurgency and banditry.

Reaffirming the legislative branch’s commitment, Tajudeen expressed confidence in the combined capabilities of the military and other security agencies to not only rescue the students but also to bring the perpetrators of the attack to justice. He pledged that the House of Representatives would continue to support all efforts aimed at protecting lives and property, with a specific focus on enhancing security protocols in educational institutions. The Minister of State for Defence, Dr. Bello Mohammed Matawalle, echoed the Speaker’s sentiments, confirming that the Federal Government, led by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has directed the state’s security apparatus to swing into immediate action to secure the students’ release unharmed. Speaker Abbas concluded by commiserating with the families of the victims who lost their lives and offered prayers for the safe return of the abducted students.