US Senator Condemns Nigeria Over Kebbi Schoolgirls’ Abduction

A United States senator has strongly condemned Nigeria over the recent abduction of schoolgirls in Kebbi State, warning that the country will be held accountable for its continued failure to protect vulnerable students.

The lawmaker, Senator Jim Risch, criticised Nigeria’s security record, stressing that school children especially girls have remained targets of violent attacks despite years of killings, kidnappings, and insecurity across the country.

Risch, in a statement posted on X, said Nigeria has consistently failed to safeguard its students from jihadist and criminal abductions, noting that little progress has been made in stopping the widespread violence.

He added that as the United States maintains its engagements with Nigerian authorities, Washington “will continue to hold them accountable” for persistent security lapses affecting school communities.

His remarks follow last week’s deadly attack on Government Girls Comprehensive Senior Secondary School in Maga, Kebbi State, where gunmen killed the vice principal and kidnapped 25 female students.

“Please join me in praying for the 25 girls who have been kidnapped and for the repose of the soul of their vice principal, who was killed,” another U.S. lawmaker, Riley Moore, said, noting that the assault occurred in a Christian community in Northern Nigeria.

Back in Nigeria, President Bola Tinubu has ordered intensified rescue operations, directing Vice President Kashim Shettima to visit Kebbi State to meet families of the abducted students and assure them of the government’s commitment to their safe return.

The Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Waidi Shaibu, also arrived in Kebbi with senior officers and instructed troops of Operation FANSAN YANMA to pursue the kidnappers relentlessly, declaring that soldiers must “continue day and night” until the girls are found.