The National Association of Nigerian Students has condemned the attack on the Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, Kebbi State, resulting in the abduction of 25 students.

NANS, in a statement issued on Tuesday by its president, Olushola Oladoja, described the attack as devastating, adding that the association was broken beyond measure by the tragedy.

The body stated, “Gunmen were said to have invaded the school at dawn on Monday, killing the Vice Principal, Mr Hassan Yakubu Makuku, and whisking away 25 female students. The incident occurred on a day set aside globally to mark International Students’ Day.’’

NANS said it planned a series of national recognitions and awards for outstanding students as part of the 2025 International Students’ Day celebration but was instead thrown into mourning.

According to the association, the planned activities included a ₦100,000 cash award for the 10 best students in each faculty of the University of Abuja.

It said, “A laptop prize for best-performing candidates in the 2025 WAEC, NECO and JAMB examinations, and ₦200,000 for the Nigerian student who won the TeenEagle International English Language Competition.”

According to NANS, additional leadership and innovation awards were also scheduled for presentation before the tragedy overshadowed the celebrations.

“Although the day was meant to celebrate the resilience and promise of young people, the community is compelled, instead, to reflect, mourn and renew its resolve to safeguard Nigerian students,” said the students’ body.

It said the attack had reopened painful memories of previous mass abductions, including the 2014 Chibok schoolgirls’ kidnapping in Borno State and other incidents in Katsina, Niger, Yobe and Kaduna states.

NANS warned that the recurring assaults on schools, particularly in northern Nigeria, were becoming a disturbing pattern that required urgent and proactive intervention.

“Nigeria cannot continue to deploy reactive measures only after lives have been destroyed and families shattered. Our schools must never be playgrounds for terrorists; our daughters must never again be turned into bargaining chips in the hands of criminals,” it said.

The association urged the Federal Government, Kebbi State Government and security agencies to deploy all available resources to ensure the immediate rescue of the abducted students.

It also called for high-end security measures around all schools, especially girls’ boarding institutions, and for intelligence-driven operations to dismantle criminal networks involved in mass abductions.

The students’ association commiserated with the family of the slain vice principal, described as courageous, as reports indicated that he was killed while resisting the attackers.

NANS prayed for the recovery of an injured member of staff of the school and assured families of the abducted girls of its solidarity.

It promised to stand with them in “grief, prayer, and unwavering hope for the safe return of the children.”

(NAN)