The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has strongly condemned the deadly attack on Government Girls’ Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, in Kebbi State, where armed assailants invaded the school at dawn, killed the Vice Principal, Hassan Yakubu Makuku, and abducted 25 female students.
In a statement signed by NANS President, Olushola Oladoja, the association described the tragic event — which occurred on November 17, 2025, the same day the world celebrated International Students’ Day — as a heartbreaking blow to the Nigerian student community.
Oladoja noted that the abduction of young girls has reopened painful memories of similar attacks on schools, stressing that the incident underscores the urgent need for Nigeria to strengthen preventive security systems rather than relying on reactive responses after lives have already been lost.
He called on the Federal Government, the Kebbi State Government, and all security agencies to deploy every available resource to ensure the immediate rescue of the kidnapped students. He also urged authorities to establish stronger, intelligence-driven security frameworks around schools, especially girls’ boarding institutions, to prevent future incidents.
According to NANS, schools must be safe spaces and should never become “playgrounds for terrorists,” while female students must never again be turned into bargaining tools in conflicts with criminal groups.
The association extended condolences to the family of the slain Vice Principal, praising his bravery in resisting the attackers. It also wished the injured staff member a quick recovery and expressed solidarity with the parents and families of the abducted girls, assuring them that the entire Nigerian student community stands with them in hope and prayer.
NANS revealed that it had planned the 2025 International Students’ Day to be a moment of honour and recognition, with awards such as ₦100,000 prizes for top-performing students at the University of Abuja, laptops for the best WAEC, NECO, and JAMB candidates, and other merit-based recognitions. Instead, the day was overshadowed by grief and fear.
On what should have been a day of celebration, NANS said Nigerian students now stand united in sorrow and in renewed determination to protect every learner across the country.
