One of the 25 schoolgirls abducted in northwestern Nigeria has escaped and is now safe, authorities confirmed on Tuesday, as local hunters and security forces intensify efforts to locate the remaining missing students, according to AP News.
The girls were seized in the early hours of Monday when armed men stormed the Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga, Kebbi State.
School principal Musa Rabi Magaji confirmed that the first escapee returned home late Monday, while another student managed to flee during the attack and was never taken.
“They are safe and sound,” Magaji told The Associated Press.
A video verified by AP shows the two girls—believed to be in their early teens—being comforted by family members in their village.
The attack triggered an immediate military response.
The Chief of Army Staff, Maj. Gen. Waidi Shaibu, ordered troops under Operation FANSAN YANMA to intensify search-and-rescue operations for the remaining abducted students.
Kebbi State Governor, Nasir Idris, visited the school on Monday, assuring families that the government was taking swift action to rescue the missing girls.
Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Waidi Shaibu, further instructed troops to conduct “intelligence-driven operations and relentless day-and-night pursuit of the abductors.”
“We must find these children. Act decisively and professionally on all intelligence. Success is not optional,” he said.
Residents shared harrowing accounts of the predawn raid.
Abdulkarim Abdullahi said he heard gunshots from his home:
“I was at home when I suddenly heard gunshots from the school. We were told the attackers came on many motorcycles.”
Amina Hassan, wife of the slain school vice principal, Hassan Yakubu Makuku—killed during the attack—recounted how the gunmen targeted him.
“Three of them entered and asked my husband, ‘Are you Malam Hassan?’ He said yes. They told him, ‘We are here to kill you.’”
On Tuesday evening, President Bola Tinubu dispatched Vice President Kashim Shettima to Kebbi State to meet with families of the abducted schoolgirls. The presidency assured that efforts were underway to secure the girls’ safe return.
As of Tuesday night, PUNCH Online had not independently verified the full details of the incident, though efforts to reach the state police command are ongoing.
The Kebbi school attack reflects a growing pattern of insecurity across northern Nigeria, where bandits and armed groups frequently target schools, travelers, farming communities, and remote villages. The remaining abducted students are still unaccounted for, and search operations continue.