The wife of the slain vice principal of Government Girls Comprehensive Senior Secondary School, Maga, in Ribah Local Government Area of Kebbi State, Mrs. Amina Hassan, has narrated how her daughter narrowly escaped being abducted during the attack that claimed her husband’s life and led to the kidnapping of 25 schoolgirls.
The school came under heavy assault in the early hours of Monday when armed bandits stormed the community, shooting sporadically before gaining entry into the school premises and surrounding residences. The vice principal, identified as Hassan, was killed in the attack, while dozens of female students were forcefully taken away.
Recounting the terrifying moments, the widow said the attackers broke into their home at about 3:30 a.m. while the family was asleep.
She recounted, “What happened is that we were asleep around 3.30 a.m. when I heard movements behind our window. So I tried to wake my husband up to tell him that the animals are destroying our things outside. Before I knew it, there was a bang on our door and it was forcibly opened.”
She said it became clear the intruders were not animals but armed men. “So, I tapped my husband to tell him that the animals have got into the house and they are really destroying our things. As soon as he got up, we realised they were not animals but robbers armed with guns
“We started struggling with them. Then one of them pulled out his gun and shot my husband. Then they dragged me by my hand outside the house.
According to her, the bandits insisted she and the children follow them, but she refused.
“I told them to leave me, that I would not go with them since they had killed the father of my children,” she said.
At that moment, her daughter came out of the house, drawing the attackers’ attention away from her.
“They left me and went to her and told her to follow them to the hostel,” she recounted. “Then they told her to lie down so they could shoot her too. She refused and told them, ‘I should lay down so you can shoot me?’ They said yes.”
In an act of quick thinking, the girl pleaded that she be allowed to ease herself before complying.
“When they opened the door for her, they saw other girls, and their attention shifted from my daughter,” the widow explained.
“That was how she escaped into the bush. By the time she came back, it was already morning.”
VANGUARD.
