Gunmen kidnapped 25 girls and killed a school official during an attack on a secondary school in northwestern Nigeria, according to police.
The Nigeria Police Force said that “a gang of armed bandits with sophisticated weapons, shooting sporadically, stormed the Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School.”
The attack took place on Monday, Nov. 17, in Maga, a city in Kebbi state in northwestern Nigeria, authorities said.
“The police tactical units deployed in the school engaged them into a gun duel,” the police statement continued. “Unfortunately, the suspected bandits had already scaled through the fence of the school and abducted 25 students from their hostel to [an] unknown destination.”
One staff member was killed in the assault, and another sustained an injury to their hand.
According to The New York Times, which cited a teacher at the school, the vice principal, Malam Hassan Makaku, was fatally shot while trying to block the door.
Police said they launched a rescue operation with support from the military and local volunteers.
“Upon receiving the unfortunate incident, a combined team of additional Police tactical units, military personnel and Vigilantes has been deployed in the area and they are currently combing the bandits’ routes and nearby forest, with a view to rescue the abducted students and possibly arrest the perpetrators of the dastardly act,” officials said.
The Associated Press reported that no group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.
