In a bold escalation of violence in northwestern Nigeria, armed bandits ambushed a convoy of Nigerian Army troops deployed for the rescue of 25 female students kidnapped from Government Girls Comprehensive Senior Secondary School (GGCSS) in Maga, Danko/Wasagu Local Government Area in Kebbi State.
The attack, which occurred less than 48 hours after the initial abduction of the kidnapped schoolgirls, resulted in several soldiers sustaining gunshot wounds and highlighted the growing audacity of criminal gangs operating in the region's dense forests and porous borders.
The incident unfolded as soldiers from Operation Fasan Yamma, the Nigerian Army's dedicated counter-banditry campaign in the northwest, mobilized to pursue the abductors following directives from Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu.
Shaibu had personally visited Kebbi State on November 18, ordering troops to conduct "intelligence-driven operations and relentless day-and-night pursuit" until the students were recovered, emphasizing that "success is not optional."
Eyewitness accounts and circulating video evidence depict a fierce exchange of gunfire, with military vehicles bearing multiple bullet impacts.
Injured personnel were seen receiving on-site medical attention, some in critical condition from bullet wounds, including one soldier reportedly hit in the leg. No fatalities among the troops were immediately confirmed in the ambush, though the attackers retreated into the surrounding bush after the clash.
READ: Kebbi State: Bandits Kill Vice Principal and Kidnap 25 Female Students from GGCSS in Danko/Wasagu LGA
This ambush comes amid heightened security operations triggered by the November 17 pre-dawn raid on Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga town, Danko/Wasagu Local Government Area of Kebbi State.
Bandits, arriving on motorcycles and armed with sophisticated rifles, stormed the school's hostel around 4:00 a.m., firing indiscriminately to sow panic. They overpowered the limited on-site security, killing Vice Principal Hassan Yakubu Makuku, who reportedly resisted the intruders, and injuring another staff member, Ali Shehu, in the hand.
The attackers herded 25 students into the night, fleeing toward nearby forests that straddle Kebbi and neighboring states like Zamfara and Niger.
In a positive development, at least one abducted student managed to escape captivity and has been reunited with authorities, while search teams comprising police tactical units, military personnel, local vigilantes, and hunters continue combing escape routes.
President Bola Tinubu has condemned the school attack as "reprehensible," directing security and intelligence agencies to prioritize the safe return of the remaining students and ensure the perpetrators face justice.
The federal government reiterated its commitment to bolstering internal security, including through enhanced cooperation with regional bodies like the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Multinational Joint Task Force.
Northwestern Nigeria has endured a surge in mass abductions by bandit groups, often motivated by ransom demands, despite repeated government assurances of improved safeguards. This event echoes previous high-profile cases, such as the 2014 Chibok kidnapping of over 270 girls by Boko Haram insurgents and the 2021 abduction of more than 100 students from a college in Kebbi’s Birnin Yauri area.
Analysts attribute the persistence of such incidents to factors including vast ungoverned spaces, proliferation of small arms from regional conflicts, and economic desperation in rural communities.
Human rights organizations and the Nigerian Bar Association have called for urgent reforms, including a time-bound rescue framework, public inquiries into security lapses, and full implementation of the national Safe Schools Initiative.