By Ezinwanne Onwuka
Since the infamous Chibok schoolgirls’ abduction in 2014, Nigeria has witnessed a disturbing rise in attacks on schools, especially in remote areas.
In recent years, these attacks have been most rampant in the northwestern and central parts of the country, carried out by Boko Haram, which translates to “western education is sinful,” and armed groups commonly called “bandits.”
From Dapchi in Yobe State to Jangebe in Zamfara State and Kagara in Niger State, these Islamist terrorists have continued to target schoolchildren, turning classrooms into danger zones. It was in this climate that the story of the Yauri girls began.
A Day of Terror
It was a sunny Thursday afternoon on June 17, 2021, when gunshots shattered the calm at Federal Government College, Birnin Yauri in Kebbi State, located in northwestern Nigeria.
Kebbi shares boundaries to the east with Zamfara and Sokoto states, to the south with Niger State, and to the west with the international borders of Niger and Benin Republics. Birnin Yauri is a town located approximately 160 miles southeast of Sokoto in a straight line, or about 204 miles by road, a journey of nearly four hours from the historic seat of the Islamic caliphate.
Hundreds of heavily armed men stormed the school, overpowered at least 22 police officers on guard, and abducted over 90 students, mostly girls, alongside eight teachers. The victims were herded into the bush, terrified and unsure of what fate awaited them.
A report by HumAngle revealed that the bandits had written to the school authorities six days earlier, warning of the imminent attack and listing 12 female students they planned to kidnap. The letter was dismissed by the school authorities as a prank, though police from the Special Anti-Terrorism Taskforce were deployed to the school.
Just days later, on June 20, the notorious bandit leader Dogo Gide released photos and a video of the victims held in makeshift camps deep in the forest, claiming responsibility for the abduction.
The Long Road to Freedom
What followed was a long and painful ordeal. Some of the girls were forced into marriages with the terrorists. Others returned with children conceived in captivity. Their time in the forest was marked by fear, abuse, and the constant uncertainty of whether freedom would ever come.
While some victims managed to escape and others were released by Dogo Gide, allegedly out of “benevolence”, many remained in captivity. Eleven girls endured nearly two years in the forest, despite the ransoms paid for their freedom.
Families waited in anguish as talks with the kidnappers dragged on, stretching into months and then years.
After nearly two years in captivity, the final two girls, Faida Sani Kaoje and Safiya Idris, were released on May 25, 2023. Their freedom marked the end of one of the longest school abduction episodes in Nigeria in recent years.
From Abduction to Academic Excellence
Kebbi State’s then-governor, Atiku Bagudu, took decisive steps to rehabilitate the girls. He arranged for them to be enrolled in private schools outside the state on full government scholarship. His successor, Governor Nasir Idris, continued the initiative, ensuring consistent academic and emotional support.
The girls quietly slipped off media radar until the results of the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), Nigeria’s version of the SAT, were released on May 15.
Five of the girls who sat for the examination—Hafsat Murtala, Faiza Ahmed, Esther Sunday, Rebecca James, and Neempere Daniel—performed excellently.
Hafsat, Faiza, and Rebecca scored 225 each; Esther got 217, while Neempere scored 117.
Beyond Survival: The Families Reflect
Tears of joy flowed as the girls’ families expressed their joy in interviews with Daily Trust.
“We didn’t even know they would ever perform to this level again. These are children we never expected will be our own again,” said Malam Abdulhamid Birnin Yauri, Hafsat’s father.
Other parents echoed similar amazement at their daughters’ results given their traumatic pasts.
“I never expected my daughter to perform up to this level because of what she went through in the hands of the bandits,” said Munirat Bala, Faiza’s mother.
Mrs. Tafia Daniel Alkali, whose husband passed away two weeks after their daughter Neempere’s release, was emotional too. She said, “We were not expecting this feat after all what had happened to them, but it was a thing of joy for us.”
The parents were also grateful for the government’s welfare support to the girls.
“Government has done a lot for us,” said James Nwasolu-Abisi, the father of Rebecca. “They put the children in private schools. Every holiday, they bring them back to us by flying them back home on a plane. And whenever they are going back to school, they fly them back. I just want to thank God, former governor Atiku Bagudu, and Governor Nasir Idris.”
A Beacon of Resilience
They once slept under trees, listening to gunshots and the commands of armed men. Now, they wake to school bells and the quiet buzz of a learning environment.
For these girls, resilience is not just a word, it is a daily decision to keep going despite all they have survived.
Ezinwanne Onwuka, based in Abuja, writes features for TruthNigeria.
