By Muhammad Mamman
The Nigerian military has detained and is interrogating all personnel assigned to the Government Girls’ Comprehensive Senior Secondary School in Maga, Kebbi State, after 26 students were abducted in a brazen attack that has reignited concerns about school security in the country’s northwest.
Defence Headquarters in Abuja confirmed that the soldiers, who were meant to secure the school at the time of the kidnapping, are undergoing questioning “to assist ongoing investigations” into how the armed group was able to breach the facility without resistance. Officials did not disclose how many troops were deployed but said the move was necessary to “establish operational lapses, if any.”
Nighttime Raid, Familiar Fears
Residents said the gunmen stormed the boarding school in Danko/Wasagu Local Government Area late at night, firing shots into the air before whisking the girls away into nearby forested terrain. The attack bears resemblance to previous mass kidnappings in northern Nigeria, where armed groups—often referred to locally as bandits—have targeted rural schools for ransom.
Parents told local reporters they have received no communication from the kidnappers, deepening anxiety over the students’ fate. “We just want our daughters back safely,” one father said.
Military Under Scrutiny
Security analysts say the decision to interrogate the soldiers reflects growing frustration over persistent school raids despite federal deployments across the region.
“It signals a shift toward accountability,” one security researcher told Al Jazeera. “But it also raises troubling questions about preparedness, morale, and whether insider information was exploited.”
The Defence Headquarters said it is reviewing the incident alongside local authorities and has launched a search-and-rescue operation across border communities linking Kebbi with Zamfara and Niger states.
A Region on Edge
Kebbi, once considered one of the calmer states in northern Nigeria, has in recent years suffered an increase in armed group activity, including raids on villages, attacks on highways, and sporadic school kidnappings.
The latest abduction echoes the high-profile cases in Chibok, Dapchi, Kankara, and Jangebe, where hundreds of students were taken, sparking national outrage and international pressure.
Government Vows Response
The federal government has promised a “decisive” response and said securing schools remains a top priority. But families in Maga say they feel abandoned.
“How many more times must this happen before our children are truly safe?” a mother asked.
Search operations continue, and the military has not announced any arrests beyond the questioning of its own personnel.
