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.

Terrorists have attacked the Gidan Waya community in Lere Local Government Area of Kaduna State, killing four people and abducting 12 others, including an ECWA Church Reverend, women, and minors.

Community members, who released photographs of the abducted residents, appealed for their immediate and safe release.

Amnesty International confirmed the attack in a statement, noting that the incident occurred on the night of 11 November 2025.

The organisation condemned the killings and abductions, stressing that the incident reflects the continued inability of Nigerian authorities to protect citizens from armed groups.

“Amnesty International strongly condemns gunmen’s attack on Gidan Waya… in which 4 people were killed and 12 people abducted – including children of 13, 14 and 15 years old,” the group said.

The rights organisation further stated that since 2016, rural communities across parts of northern Nigeria have lived under constant threat from armed groups, leading to widespread displacement. Plateau, Zamfara, southern Kaduna, Benue, and Katsina are among the worst-affected areas.

SaharaReporters earlier published photographs of the kidnapped victims, drawing renewed attention to the community’s worsening security crisis.

The latest attack adds to a series of violent incidents across the North, with many rural communities abandoned due to fear of repeated assaults.

Rampaging gunmen struck again in Kaduna State on Monday, killing one person and abducting a Catholic priest along with several other residents.

The attack was confirmed in a letter issued by Rev. Fr. Christian Okewu Emmanuel, Chancellor of the Catholic Archdiocese of Kaduna.

According to the letter, the assailants invaded Kushe Gugdu in Kagarko Local Government Area during the early hours of Monday and whisked away Rev. Fr. Bobbo Paschal, the Parish Priest of St Stephen Parish, Kushe Gugdu.

“I write to inform you of the attack on Kushe Gugdu and the abduction of one of our priests, Rev. Fr. Bobbo Paschal… from his residence during the early hours of today, Monday, 17th of November, 2025,” the Chancellor said.

He added that “many others were abducted” during the invasion, and that the brother of another priest Rev. Fr. Anthony Yero was killed in the assault.

The incident adds to the growing wave of killings and mass abductions carried out by armed bandits across the country.

On the same morning in Kebbi State, heavily armed bandits attacked the Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, located in the Danko district of Danko/Wasagu Local Government Area, kidnapping 25 schoolgirls around 4 a.m.

Security agencies have not yet released official statements on either attack.