A group of gunmen stormed a boarding school, killing the vice principal and kidnapping 25 schoolgirls in Maga, Kebbi State, Nigeria, in the early morning of Monday, November 17.
Armed with "sophisticated weapons," the group stormed the dormitories at the Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School around 4 a.m., said police spokesperson Nafi'u Abubakar Kotarkoshi.
"A combined team is currently combing suspected escape routes and surrounding forests in a coordinated search and rescue operation aimed at recovering the abducted students and arresting the perpetrators," said Kotarkoshi.
Vice Principal Hassan Yakubu Makuku was shot and killed by the attackers while attempting to protect his students, reported Reuters. Another teacher was injured.
The identity of the attackers, as well as their motivation, was unknown as of Monday afternoon, said CBS News.
School kidnappings frequent in Nigeria
The kidnapping of the students at the Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School is just the latest in a series of abductions in Nigeria.
The act of mass kidnappings for ransom first made international news back in 2014, when 270 schoolgirls were kidnapped from the Government Girls Secondary School in Chibok, Nigeria. A decade after that kidnapping, about a third of the girls remain missing.
Since the Chibok abduction, there have been at least 1,500 other students kidnapped from their schools, said CBS News.
Nigeria has since banned the paying of ransoms in an attempt to dissuade groups from kidnapping children.
Earlier in November, a teenage seminarian was released about four months after he was kidnapped from his seminary in July.
Another priest killed, one abducted
Aid to the Church in Need has confirmed armed militants also stormed the community of Kushe Gugdu and abducted Fr. Bobbo Paschal, parish priest of St. Stephen Parish. The attack, carried out in the early hours of November 17, also claimed the life of the brother of another priest, Fr. Anthony Yero, and led to the kidnapping of several residents.
While no further fatalities have been reported, the shock of this violence continues to ripple through the Archdiocese of Kaduna, which remains in contact with ACN as details emerge.
Church leaders are appealing to people of goodwill everywhere to pray for the safe return of Fr. Paschal and all who were taken, as well as for comfort for the family of the deceased. Their call echoes a broader plea for solidarity with Christian communities in Nigeria who, according to the 2025 Aid to the Church in Need Religious Freedom Report, face “severe, systematic and ongoing” violations of religious freedom.
Nigeria’s security crisis continues to deepen, fueled by a mix of criminal banditry, intercommunal tension, and extremist groups such as Boko Haram and Islamic State–West Africa Province. Violence in the Middle Belt has intensified, with churches destroyed and worshippers killed.
The United States’ recent decision to redesignate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern highlights the gravity of the situation and the urgent need for stronger protections for religious minorities. In the face of suffering, the Church in Nigeria continues to rely on global awareness, advocacy, and prayer as essential forms of support for communities striving to live their faith in peace.
