On Monday, November 17, in Kebbi State, armed bandits stormed the Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga before dawn, abducting 25 girls from their dormitories. The school’s vice principal was shot dead as he tried to protect his students.
In a separate similar raid, assailants attacked St. Mary’s Catholic School in Niger State on November 21, abducting both pupils and staff.
Kidnappings of children from schools have become a recurring nightmare in Nigeria. Between 2014 and December 2022, about 1,683 students were kidnapped, according to a Save the Children–backed report.
The trend has roots in both ideological and criminal violence, while Boko Haram once drew international attention with mass abductions, today many kidnappings are carried out by loosely organised “bandit” groups whose primary motive appears to be ransom.
What makes schools particularly vulnerable is the combination of weak security and the profitability of these attacks. Many of the perpetrators are well-armed, operating in remote or semi-remote areas, and they exploit gaps in state protection.
In the Kebbi raid, for example, the attackers came on motorcycles, scaled a fence, and exchanged fire with police before fleeing into nearby forests, a terrain they know well. Once students are taken, they often disappear into these hideouts, making rescue operations complex and high-risk.
Despite past efforts, initiatives such as Nigeria’s Safe School Initiative have struggled to keep pace with the scale of the threat. Many schools remain under-protected, and communities in affected regions live in constant fear.
“The country is no longer safe for its children,” A Catholic bishop said after the St. Mary’s Catholic School attack.
The human cost of all this goes beyond the immediate danger of abduction. Kidnapped students may suffer trauma, their families live in perpetual fear, and the fabric of education in affected areas is being eroded. Some schools have been closed down temporarily after attacks.
In response, Nigeria’s security forces have launched rescue operations. According to officials, teams are combing forests, deploying along escape routes, and intensifying intelligence-led missions.
But analysts warn that unless the root causes, poverty, weak state presence in rural areas, and the economic incentives driving bandits, are addressed, the cycle may well continue.
