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At least 25 schoolgirls have been abducted in Nigeria, resulting in a nationwide mobilization of security forces to rescue them.

Getting into it: The incident unfolded on Monday around 4 a.m. in the town of Maga, Kebbi State, when heavily armed gunmen stormed the Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School. Witnesses reported that the attackers arrived on motorcycles and in cars, firing indiscriminately. The vice principal of the school, Malam Hassan Makaku, was killed after trying to barricade the girls’ dormitory with his own body.

The atackers breached the school’s perimeter by scaling the fence and took 25 students during a violent 20-minute assault. Local residents described waking to the sound of gunfire and chaotic screams, with little to no immediate intervention from nearby security forces, despite the presence of a checkpoint not far from the school.

Authorities quickly launched a manhunt involving the police, military personnel, local vigilantes, and hunters familiar with the terrain. Security teams have been combing nearby forests which are known to serve as hideouts for criminal gangs, and have also deployed along major exit routes in the region.

While no group has officially claimed responsibility, analysts and local sources suspect the perpetrators belong to one of several armed gangs operating in Nigeria’s northwest. These groups, often referred to as “bandits,” are composed largely of former herders who have taken up arms amid long-standing clashes with farming communities. The gangs are known for orchestrating mass kidnappings for ransom, and their methods and targets closely resemble previous incidents.