Twenty-Five Schoolgirls Abducted at Gunpoint in Nigeria

Twenty-five girls were abducted at gunpoint from Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School during an organized attack in Nigeria’s Kebbi State on Monday. The boarding school’s vice principal, Hassan Yakubu Makuku, was fatally shot.

The Details: The attackers exchanged gunfire with Nigerian police before scaling the school’s fence and fleeing with the abducted students. Two girls have since escaped, one of whom was not included in the initially reported count of 25. Twenty-four are still missing as of this article’s publishing. Nigerian police announced that law enforcement presence has been enhanced in the area to assist in search and rescue efforts, and Nigerian President Bola Tinubu postponed his trip to attend Group of Twenty (G20) summits in Angola and South Africa amid the crisis.

For Context: Another attack occurred in Nigeria on Tuesday, when gunmen killed at least two worshippers and kidnapped others (including the pastor) at Christ Apostolic Church in Kwara State. The attack follows mass allegations of genocide against Nigerian Christians. 

Other Mass School Abductions: Organized mass abductions in Northern Nigerian schools are not necessarily rare, as reported by media across the political spectrum. Two hundred eighty students were abducted from a school in Kaduna State in 2024, for example; and Boko Haram terrorists abducted 250 schoolgirls – some of whom still haven’t been found – from a secondary school in Chibok in 2014. 

From The Left: The Independent (Lean Left bias) focused its coverage on the two girls’ escapes and the Nigerian government’s efforts to remedy the situation, rather than on the attack itself. It quoted Nigeria's Chief of Army Staff Lt. Gen. Waidi Shaibu, who said law enforcement must “act decisively and professionally on all intelligence.” The outlet reported, “No group has claimed responsibility for taking the missing girls,” but it also pointed to the prevalent organized crime in northern Nigeria, “where dozens of armed gangs of mostly nomadic herdsmen and, more recently, jihadis, operate.” 

From The Center: Reuters (Center) also noted the pattern of organized crime “despite government pledges to improve security in the region.” In its coverage of the church shooting, it highlighted that “Nigeria is grappling with an Islamist insurgency in the northeast” but also described the boarding school as “predominantly Muslim.” 

From The Right: Fox News (Right) reported that “no group immediately claimed responsibility for the incident.” The outlet appeared to distance itself from allusions to genocide against Christians. It gave voice to Nigerian Information Minister Mohamed Idris, who said, “Whether [the criminals] have any ideological ties is still under investigation, and we do not want to fuel speculation while the facts are being verified,” and, “This is not about religion Muslim or Christian. These criminals attack anyone they believe is vulnerable.” 

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