Intensifying Insecurity: Search for Abducted Girls in Northwestern Nigeria

Nigerian security forces are searching for 25 girls abducted from a boarding school by gunmen in Kebbi, northwest Nigeria. The attack is part of a larger trend of kidnappings and insecurity in the country. Similar to the Chibok incident, the kidnapping has sparked distress and international attention.

Nigerian security forces ramped up efforts on Tuesday to find 25 girls abducted by gunmen from a boarding school in northeastern Kebbi. This is the latest school abduction amid escalating insecurity nationwide. Two girls escaped their captors on Monday evening, as distraught parents stood by hoping for more good news.

Authorities report that the attackers invaded Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in the town of Maga at 4 a.m. using motorcycles in what seemed like a meticulously planned operation. An exchange of gunfire took place between the assailants and police before the attackers breached the perimeter to seize the students.

With the area predominantly Muslim, most of the abducted students share the religion. Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, Nigeria's Chief of Army Staff, urged forces to act on all intelligence sources, emphasizing that finding the children is non-negotiable. Residents recall the anguish reminiscent of the 2014 Chibok kidnapping.

(With inputs from agencies.)