Two abducted Kebbi schoolgirls escape from bandits

Two of the 25 female students abducted by bandits from Government Girls Secondary School, Maga, in Danko-Wasagu Local Government Area of Kebbi State, have escaped from captivity, authorities confirmed on Tuesday.

An official of the LGA, Hussaini Aliyu, told the BBC that the girls managed to flee while the bandits were moving them deeper into the bush shortly after the attack. According to him, the students took advantage of a moment of distraction, broke away from the group, and ran across nearby farmlands to safety.

“They are back and safe,” Aliyu said, adding that one of the girls sustained a leg injury while trying to escape and is currently receiving medical attention.

The escape comes barely 24 hours after gunmen abducted at least 25 students during a violent attack on the school in the early hours of Monday. The bandits, said to be heavily armed, invaded the school around 4 a.m., engaging police officers in a fierce gun duel before scaling the perimeter fence and forcefully taking the girls from their hostel.

Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Nafi’u Abubakar Kotarkoshi, confirmed the incident in a statement, revealing that the attack left one staff member, Hassan Makuku, dead, while another, Ali Shehu, sustained gunshot wounds.