Cynthia Ezegwu
The Maga community in Danko-Wasagu Local Government Area of Kebbi State will on Friday convene a special prayer session, seeking divine intervention for the safe rescue of the 25 schoolgirls abducted earlier in the week.
The District Head of Maga, Muhammad Sanid Dantani, confirmed the development in a telephone interview on Thursday, saying the community remains deeply distressed by the attack and has turned to collective spiritual supplication as security operatives intensify search and rescue operations.
“We have decided to gather on Friday for a special prayer for the safe return of our daughters. The whole community is traumatised, and we believe prayer is our strongest weapon at this moment,” he said.
Armed bandits had invaded the Government Girls Comprehensive Senior Secondary School, Maga, in the early hours of Monday, whisking away 25 students and sparking nationwide outrage as well as renewed calls for improved security in schools across the North-West.
The attackers struck barely an hour after security personnel posted to the school reportedly withdrew from their duty post, a development community leaders and parents described as a major lapse that may have enabled the incident.
The abduction adds to a series of similar attacks on educational institutions in northern Nigeria since the 2014 Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping. In Kebbi State, earlier incidents in Yauri and surrounding communities have left parents and residents living in fear.
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Residents of Maga have, since the incident, held nightly gatherings to support affected families and press authorities to hasten rescue efforts.
Friday’s special prayer, expected to attract clerics, traditional rulers, political office holders and residents, will also focus on broader peace and security across the region, which continues to experience violent attacks despite ongoing military operations.
Governor Nasir Idris, who visited the community earlier in the week, assured parents that the state government is working closely with security agencies to ensure the safe return of the schoolgirls.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, also pledged that the Federal Government has deployed all necessary resources to track the perpetrators and rescue the victims.
A similar prayer session was held in Zuru town on Wednesday and Thursday.