When armed bandits stormed the Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga, Kebbi State, in the early hours of Monday, the students were still asleep. By daybreak, their school had become a crime scene: the Vice Principal, Malam Hassan Makuku, lay dead, and 25 girls had been taken from their dormitories into the thick forests that surround Danko/Wasagu Local Government Area.
For Kebbi State Governor Mohammed Nasir Idris, who arrived at the school around 6:45 p.m. that same day, it was not just another attack. It was, in his words, a preventable tragedy—one that happened despite credible warnings, security meetings, and personnel deployments. And it was the moment he publicly accused unnamed security agencies of sabotaging his administration’s efforts.
“This Is Clear Sabotage” — Governor Idris Fumes
Standing in front of devastated teachers and anxious parents, the governor’s anger was unmistakable.
“We got credible intelligence from the DSS that this school was likely to be attacked,” he said. “DSS further advised that we convene an emergency Security Council meeting, which we did. And the decision was that we would provide round-the-clock protection for the students.”
Governor Idris explained that he took the warning seriously, especially remembering the December 2020 Kankara school abduction in Katsina State, where over 300 students were kidnapped after early warnings were ignored. Determined not to repeat history, Kebbi’s government deployed heavily armed security officers to guard the students.
But according to the governor, something inexplicable happened: the same officers who spent hours taking photos with the girls, interacting with teachers, and conducting emergency drills suddenly withdrew before dawn.
Thirty minutes later—the bandits struck.
A teacher who escaped the attack recalled the moments leading up to the tragedy.
“The security men were fully armed and stayed with us all night,” he said. “They taught the students what to do in case of an emergency. Everything felt under control. Then, before dawn, they left quietly. None of us knew why.”
The teacher said the bandits arrived not long after the withdrawal—shooting, shouting, and breaking into dormitories while terrified girls cried for help in the dark. In the chaos, Vice Principal Hassan Makuku was shot dead. Several girls were dragged away into the night.
Three students managed to escape, and two more later found a way out of the forest. But 23 girls remain missing.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, briefed on the attack early Monday, ordered an immediate manhunt and directed security agencies to comb all nearby forests. Military operations intensified across the region, with troops sweeping hideouts and tracking movement patterns used by bandit groups.
Governor Idris also announced the formation of a special investigation panel to determine how the attack happened despite all warnings. He appointed the State Director of the DSS to lead the committee—an indication of how seriously he takes the intelligence failures.
The panel will investigate:
- Why deployed security personnel withdraw shortly before the attack
- Whether communication gaps contributed to the tragedy
- What roles did different agencies play before, during, and after the incident
- And how to secure the safe return of the kidnapped students
Despite the shock and anger, hope persists among teachers and families.
“The good news is that there is sufficient reason to believe that the girls were kidnapped, not killed,” one teacher said. “With ongoing efforts by the federal and state governments, we are hopeful that they will all be rescued.”
As parents gather daily at the school gate, clutching photographs of their children and waiting for updates, the community is engulfed in grief, fear, and frustration. Many cannot understand how a school under threat, with full intelligence warnings, could still fall victim.
The attack on Maga is yet another chapter in a long list of school abductions in northern Nigeria—from Chibok to Dapchi to Kankara—each one raising the same question: why do warnings continue to go unheeded?
For now, Governor Idris wants answers—and the parents of the 23 missing girls want their children back alive.
