Parents of the 25 students abducted from Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, in Kebbi State, have described their anguish as they await news of their missing daughters.
One of the parents, Malam Tukur Zakiru Maga, whose 17-year-old daughter Surayya is an SS3 student, said his family had been unable to cope since the attack.
“I and her mother cannot sleep well or eat normal. We are in trauma, fear, and panic, thinking if my daughter is still alive,” he said.
Surayya’s mother, overwhelmed by emotion, appealed to authorities to accelerate rescue efforts.
“Oh, my daughter Surayya, may God save you and rescue you from the hands of these bandits,” she said.
Another parent, Malam Nazifi Salihu Maga, father of 12-year-old Khadija, said the ordeal had left him devastated.
“I am in serious pain and comma over the abduction of my daughter and others. I plea with the federal and state governments to help bring back our daughters,” he said.
Zakiru added that government forces had intensified search operations across suspected hideouts.
“Part of the government efforts, we have seen more than fifty number of Armory vehicles belonging to Nigeria Army and scores of troops fully armed in all the areas where we are expecting is the bandits hide out,” he said.
The incident has prompted nationwide concern, with security agencies ramping up operations in the region.
Kebbi State Governor, Dr. Nasir Idris, has visited the community to commiserate with affected families and reaffirm the government’s commitment to rescuing the schoolgirls.