Armed assailants have taken the life of an instructor and abducted at least 25 students in an raid targeting a educational institution for young women in Nigeria's northwestern region, according to police.
The gang of attackers stormed the public educational institution for female students in the Maga locality within Kebbi State at roughly 4 in the morning local time on the start of the week, police confirmed.
The assailants "engaged police personnel on duty in a gun duel" before scaling the perimeter fence and abducting the learners from their dormitory, according to a statement.
A school employee was lost their life while safeguarding the students. Another staff member suffered bullet injuries and is now being treated medically.
Eyewitnesses described a large group of attackers, known locally as bandits, who came shooting randomly to generate terror.
Local residents informed journalists that the attackers afterwards forced a contingent of young women into surrounding rural areas.
The police said they had deployed "supplementary tactical squads, together with army members and local protection units" to the area.
A organized locating and saving mission is currently ongoing in nearby woodlands and potential getaway paths.
In the last several years, learning centers in northern Nigerian regions have become frequent targets for weapon-carrying factions, who routinely perform seizures to seek ransom payments or leverage deals with the government.
The assault in Kebbi State highlights the persistent security crisis plaguing the region, resulting in households in Maga in a situation of anxious fatigue as they expect and desire their daughters' safe return.
Protection challenge in Nigeria's northern territories has intensified significantly in recent months, with educational institutions suffering the most of the unrest.
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