Kebbi school attack: Widow of slain vice principal recounts how her daughter survived abduction

The widow of the slain vice principal of Government Girls Comprehensive Senior Secondary School, GGCSS, Maga, in Ribah Local Government Area of Kebbi State, Mrs. Amina Hassan, has recounted how her daughter narrowly escaped abduction during the attack on Monday, that claimed her husband’s life and led to the kidnapping of 25 schoolgirls.

The school and surrounding residences came under heavy assault in the early hours of Monday when armed bandits stormed the community, firing sporadically before gaining entry into the school premises. The vice principal, Hassan Yakubu Makuku, was killed in the attack, while 25 female students were abducted.

Mrs. Hassan described the terrifying ordeal, saying the attackers broke into their home at around 3:30 a.m. while the family was asleep.

She narrated, “We were asleep when I heard movements behind our window. I tried to wake my husband, thinking it was animals destroying our things outside. Before I knew it, the door was forced open.”

Realizing the intruders were armed men, she continued, “As soon as he got up, we realized they were not animals but armed robbers. We struggled, and one of them shot my husband before dragging me outside the house.”

The bandits reportedly demanded that she and her children follow them, but she refused. “I told them I would not go with them since they had killed the father of my children,” she said.

At that moment, her daughter emerged from the house, drawing the attackers’ attention. “They left me and went to her, telling her to follow them to the hostel. They even told her to lie down so they could shoot her, but she refused.”

“When they opened the door, they saw other girls, and their attention shifted from my daughter. That was how she escaped into the bush. By the time she came back, it was already morning,” Mrs. Hassan added.