One of the 25 schoolgirls abducted from a boarding school in Kebbi State has escaped from captivity and returned home, the principal of the school said on Tuesday.
The girls were seized when armed men attacked the Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in northwest Nigeria before dawn on Monday, killing a staff member and whisking away the students.
According to the school principal, Musa Rabi Magaji, the escaped student fled through the surrounding forests and arrived home late Monday, hours after the attack. Another student, who was not among the 25 officially confirmed abducted, also managed to escape shortly after the incident.
“One is part of the 25 abducted, and the other one returned earlier,” Magaji said. “They are safe and sound.”
Mass kidnappings of schoolchildren have become increasingly common in northern Nigeria, where armed gangs—comprising mostly nomadic herders and, more recently, jihadist elements—operate across vast forested regions. Schools are frequently targeted to draw public attention and secure ransom payments, analysts note.
No group has claimed responsibility for Monday’s attack. However, residents and security analysts suggest it may be the work of one of the many criminal gangs that regularly raid schools, travellers, and remote communities for ransom.
The ongoing insecurity in the region has been attributed to corruption that weakens security operations, a lack of prosecution for attackers, and porous borders that allow a steady flow of weapons to armed groups. The conflict has also been worsened by years of violent clashes between herders and farming communities over shrinking grazing land and scarce resources.
Authorities say efforts are underway to locate the remaining abducted schoolgirls and bring them home safely.
