One of the 25 abducted schoolgirls taken during a violent attack on Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, in Kebbi State has escaped from captivity and reunited with her family, the school principal confirmed on Tuesday.
DDM gathered that the student fled her captors late Monday and appeared at her parents’ home hours after heavily armed terrorists stormed the school at about 4am.
The information was also confirmed by the Associated Press (AP).
The attack, which was carried out by gunmen suspected to be bandits, left one staff member dead and another injured.
Police spokesperson, CSP Nafi’u Abubakar Kotarkoshi, said the assailants overpowered security personnel, scaled the fence, and took the girls from their hostel after a fierce gun battle.
Principal Musa Rabi Magaji disclosed that another student, who was not among the 25 officially listed as abducted, also escaped immediately after the attack. He confirmed that both girls were “safe and sound.”
Following the incident, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Waidi Shaibu, visited the school and ordered an expanded, intelligence-driven operation under Operation FANSAN YANMA.
The Army statement quoted him as directing commanders to conduct “relentless day-and-night pursuit of the abductors,” stressing that “success is not optional.”
Security forces have since widened their search across forests and rural communities surrounding Danko-Wasagu Local Government Area, deploying surveillance and ground troops to track the kidnappers and rescue the remaining students.
Although no group has claimed responsibility, eyewitness accounts suggest the attackers included young men in military camouflage and speaking Fulani.
Security analysts say the incident reflects the worsening insecurity in northern Nigeria, where school abductions have escalated in frequency and brutality.
Over the past decade, mass kidnappings have shifted from criminal banditry to include jihadist elements, complicating rescue efforts and deepening public fear.
The escape of one student offers a glimmer of hope, but families continue to wait anxiously for the safe return of the remaining abducted girls.
