One Of 25 Abducted Kebbi Schoolgirls Escapes—Report.

School.

One of the 25 schoolgirls kidnapped from a secondary school in northwestern Nigeria has escaped and is now safe, officials confirmed on Tuesday, as hunters and security operatives intensify efforts to locate the other missing students, according to AP News.

The abduction happened before dawn on Monday when armed men attacked Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga, Kebbi State.

The school principal, Musa Rabi Magaji, said the first escapee returned home late on Monday. Another student escaped immediately during the attack and was not taken away.

“They are safe and sound,” Magaji told The Associated Press.

A video verified by AP shows the two girls, appearing to be in their early teens, surrounded by their families in the village.

Security forces responded swiftly to the incident.

The Chief of Army Staff, Maj. Gen. Waidi Shaibu, directed troops under Operation FANSAN YANMA to intensify their search-and-rescue mission for the missing students.

Kebbi State Governor, Nasir Idris, visited the school on Monday and assured that urgent steps were being taken to rescue the girls.

Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Waidi Shaibu, instructed “intelligence-driven operations and relentless day-and-night pursuit of the abductors.”

He stated, “We must find these children. Act decisively and professionally on all intelligence. Success is not optional.”

Residents of Maga described the early-morning attack with shock and sorrow. Abdulkarim Abdullahi said he heard the gunfire from his house.

“I was at home when I suddenly heard gunshots from the school. We were told that the attackers entered the school with many motorcycles,” he said.

Amina Hassan, the wife of the school’s vice principal, Hassan Yakubu Makuku—who was killed by the gunmen—described how the attackers confronted her husband.

“Three of them entered and asked my husband, ‘Are you Malam Hassan?’ and he responded, ‘Yes, I am.’ They told him that we are here to kill you.”

On Tuesday evening, President Bola Tinubu sent Vice President Kashim Shettima to Kebbi State to console the affected families of the abducted schoolgirls. He also assured them that the government is working to secure the girls’ safe and quick return.

Although the reports could not be independently confirmed as of Tuesday night, the state’s police command was being contacted for updates.

The Kebbi school abduction is part of a wider trend of insecurity in northern Nigeria, where armed groups frequently clash with farming communities and target schools, travellers, and isolated villages. The remaining abducted girls are still missing as security teams have continued their search.