Portraits of Grief: Inside Abducted Kebbi Girls’ School after Brutal Terror Attack

The terror struck in the wee hours of Monday, Nov. 17, shattering the quiet of the Government Girls’ Comprehensive Secondary School (GGCSS), Maga. 

The students woke from their deep sleep and scrambled for safety when the terrorists invaded, triggering a wave of fear and anguish throughout the premises. By morning, news had spread that at least 25 schoolgirls had been abducted in the raid in Maga, a town in Danko Wasagu Local Government Area of Kebbi State, North West Nigeria.

The attack happened around 3:30 a.m. when armed men stormed the school, killing two staff members – Hassan Yakubu, the school’s security officer, and Aliyu Shehu, the night watchman.

Locals, including a former school staff member, told HumAngle that the security officer had warned the school principal, Rabi Musa Magaji, about a possible attack days earlier. He also said the military officer in charge of the local base was informed and had visited the school before the incident. The principal declined to comment on the warning but described Hassan as a “hardworking and committed staff member”.

The Kebbi State Governor, Nasir Idris, blamed security agents for ignoring intelligence that might have averted the tragic attack. Governor Idris visited the school on Monday, around 6:45 p.m., appearing upset that security personnel did not respond to what he termed as credible warnings from the Department of State Services (DSS) prior to the incident.

“This is clear sabotage. We got credible intelligence from the DSS that this school was likely to be attacked. 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,” the governor said.

While most Nigerian national dailies and international media reported that one of the school’s vice principals was among those killed or kidnapped, the principal denied this, saying, “Both of my vice principals are here with me.”

“The Governor assured us of [the girls’] safe return, as security forces plunge into a thorough search of the kidnapped schoolgirls. As you can see, the military and other security forces are deployed to strategic areas of terrorists’ crossing points to hunt for the abducted children,” she added. 

HumAngle spoke to Aliyu Umar, a political figure affiliated with the All Progressives Congress (APC), the ruling party in the state, who confirmed that his daughter was among the schoolgirls abducted. He expressed his frustration over the lack of preventive measures, despite prior intelligence about the situation. 

“The chairman of the Danko Wasagu Local Government Council informed me that he had previously reported to the Officer in Charge of the military camp in Maga that an attack was planned on the GGCSS Maga. However, no action was taken to prevent the impending attack, even though the intelligence report had been shared,” he lamented.

Witness to terror

The terrorists had crossed the Maga-Zuru federal highway in military fashion and upon reaching the school, killed the night watchman to be able to breach the entry points. They then reportedly took strategic positions, surrounding the fence with guns. They advanced first to the staff quarters, where they killed Hassan Yakubu and abducted a student who was living with her father, a staff member, before heading to the school hostel.

When the noise first started in the staff quarters, particularly near their house, Amina Hassan, wife of the now deceased Hassan Yakubu, had initially thought it was the goats in their quarters moving around. She recalled as she began recounting the harrowing night of the attack. 

“I woke my husband from deep sleep, urging him to get up and see. Just as he was waking up, our front door was broken down with force. Five men in military uniforms, each holding a gun, stormed into the house. That’s when I knew things had taken a deadly turn,” Amina said. Hassan rose in a prayerful mood, only to hear a harsh voice shout, ‘Who is Malam Hassan? Where is he? Is this his house?”

“I stepped forward, trying to protect him. I shouted, ‘No! This is not his house!’ One of them shoved me with his gun and pointed it at me. Another went straight into Hassan’s room, aimed his weapon, and kicked him in the head.”

“We are here to kill you too,” one of them declared.

Despite the threat, Malam Hassan calmly asked to say his final prayer. They allowed him. But as he began reciting the Kalimatush-shahada, the Muslim declaration of faith, they shot him dead.

Tears streamed down Amina’s face as she spoke to HumAngle.

“One of them, who looked like a teenager, grabbed me by the arm and tried to drag me away. I resisted with all my strength, even though he had a gun. I shouted at him in fury: ‘Where will you take me after killing my husband and making my children orphans? I will not go!” she said, her voice trembling with grief.  

“I ran to hug him to pay my last respect as Hassan was jacking in too much blood. But the terrorist kicked his gun again and pointed it at me, shouting at me, saying that if I touched him, they would shoot me too. I had to pause and look at him in pain.”

The gang eventually left the house, leaving Hassan’s lifeless body in a pool of blood. Desperate, Amina ran to the staff quarters to seek help from the neighbours, clinging to the hope that her husband might still be saved.

“I knocked frantically on a neighbour’s door, screaming and groaning. A man finally opened. When he saw me and heard what happened, he and his wife broke down in tears. They comforted me but wouldn’t let me go back outside; by then, the attackers had split into groups across the school,” she said.

Amina says she’s worried, sad and prays “Allah uncovers the secrets” of the perpetrators, who snuffed life out of her husband. She has got four girls and five boys for her late husband. 

Narrow escape

After Khadija Hassan, 17, was abducted from her father’s house in the staff quarters, she was moved toward the students’ hostel. On getting there, one of the terrorists asked her to wait at the girls’ hostel gate, threatening to kill her if she ran away. It was from there that she escaped.

“He left me there, and I sneaked out, moved through the dark and crawled until I was sure nobody could see me. Then I returned to the staff quarters, where I was snatched from. All of them went into the Aleiru House to round up students. Because they were separate groups located in the kitchen area, hostel, staff quarters, and administrative block,” Khadija told HumAngle.

She explained that the school has four student hostels: Aleiru House, Dakin Gari House, Bala Grady House, and Kalanga House. However, only the Aleiru House was targeted during the attack. She was shocked at how well the attackers seemed to know the school layout and routines. The terrorists appeared to have access to every detail. One incident stood out in her mind: at the hostel gate, after they were done at the staff quarters, the terror  group had knocked and called out, “Baba, open the door; we are coming for security checks.” 

The watchman, thinking it was someone from the school, responded promptly, as he recognised the familiar code. Almost immediately after the gate was opened, one of the terrorists roughly shoved the old man, brandishing a gun. Faced with this sudden threat, the watchman had no choice but to surrender.

Zainab Umar Rafi and Aisha Garba, both students at the school, also narrowly escaped the attack.

“I heard students crying, which woke me up, and I ran under the bed. I didn’t move an inch from that spot and stayed silent like a lizard on a wall. I witnessed how terrorists were beating students who resisted abduction. My heart was racing, and I couldn’t believe I would escape the raid,” Aisha told HumAngle.

“Based on what I experienced, I wouldn’t dare to return to this school again, or any boarding school for that matter,” Husaina Sambo and Gloria Dakare said. 

Amid fear, Ummu Salma Abubakar, another student, said: “We had heard numerous rumours about potential attacks. We were told not to panic since soldiers frequently visit the school premises, which kept us somewhat calm. However, no soldier was here to protect us during the three-hour terrorist operation. The attackers were present from 3:30 a.m. until almost 6:00 a.m.. Just imagine how my parents would feel if I had been kidnapped and taken into the bush. Like many of my kidnapped classmates, I come from a less privileged family that cannot afford expensive housing.”

‘What kind of country is this?’

Abdulkarim Abdullahi, a resident of Maga town, shared his experience with HumAngle upon receiving the devastating news of his daughter, Ummui-Kursiyyu Abdulkarim, being abducted. She is a JSS 2 student at GGCSS Maga. “I was in my bedroom when I received the news via a WhatsApp message. It felt strange. My wife, Maryam, rushed to the school immediately to verify the situation before I even had a chance to leave the room.”

When she arrived at the GGCSS, she found that several other parents were being denied access to the school compound. After an hour, they were finally allowed inside so each parent could confirm their child’s status. The school authorities released a list of the kidnapped students, which left many parents in shock. Some were so overwhelmed that they fainted, and others suffered heart attacks. 

“My wife collapsed and was taken to the hospital, where she was diagnosed with high blood pressure,” Abdullahi recounted.

Muhammed Makuku, the father of Rashida Mohammed, who is set to graduate in June-July 2026, had high hopes of sending her to further her education in the medical field. However, those hopes have been shattered.

“I cannot speak to journalists at the moment. It’s incredibly painful to endure this terrible loss. Rashida is my only daughter; I have seven sons. I had great hopes for her to graduate and pursue higher education to expand her knowledge. This is why I enrolled her in school. She has been performing well, as reflected in her exam records. But now, the wrong people have taken her hostage. What kind of country is this?”

The incident at GGCSS Maga is one of the many mass school abductions in Nigeria’s recent history. Over 1,880 schoolchildren have been abducted from the premises of at least 10 educational institutions across the country between 2014 and now, according to HumAngle’s review of verified media reports and human rights organisations’ investigations.