The Gender Educators Initiative (GEI) has urged the Federal Government to move swiftly to secure the safe release of schoolgirls abducted from Government Secondary School, Maga, in Danko-Wasagu Local Government Area of Kebbi State.
The organisation described the incident as a tragic reminder of the worsening insecurity that continues to put women and children at grave risk across the North-West.
Its Executive Lead, Shafa’atu Suleiman, in a statement issued in Sokoto on Tuesday, condemned the abduction in the strongest terms.
The group called for coordinated efforts between federal authorities, security agencies and the Kebbi State Government to ensure the immediate rescue of the victims.
“This attack is unacceptable. We are calling on the Federal Government to act fast to save our girls, warning that delays further deepen the trauma experienced by families and communities,” it stated.
The group also noted that the abduction highlights persistent gaps in school safety and the rising vulnerability of learners in conflict-prone areas.
It stressed that women and children remain disproportionately affected by violence, abductions and displacement, making their protection a matter of national urgency.
To avert future tragedies, GEI urged the government to adopt a more proactive and intelligence-led security approach that will strengthen implementation of the Safe Schools Initiative, including functional perimeter fencing, trained security personnel and early warning systems in high-risk communities.
It further advocated expanded investments in community policing and local intelligence networks to improve early detection of threats, while emphasising the importance of psychosocial support for survivors of violence.
“Women and children bear the brunt of insecurity, facing abductions, sexual violence and long-term trauma,” the group said.
GEI also encouraged deeper collaboration between security agencies and local communities, alongside sustained efforts to tackle root causes of insecurity such as poverty, unemployment and limited access to education.
Expressing solidarity with affected families, the organisation urged the government to guarantee that no child is forced to choose between pursuing an education and staying alive.
It stressed that the rescue of the abducted girls must remain a top priority, adding that Nigeria’s future depends on protecting its most vulnerable citizens.
The group, however, maintained its call for immediate and decisive action, insisting that the lives and futures of the girls cannot be left to chance.
Student Abductions Across Nigeria
For more than ten years, armed groups have repeatedly targeted schools across Nigeria, with over 1,000 students kidnapped between 2014 and November 2025, according to findings by The ICIR.
The latest incident occurred on Monday when armed men attacked Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, in the Danko-Wasagu Local Government Area of Kebbi State. Police confirmed that 25 students were abducted and the school’s vice principal was killed.
The ICIR had previously reported that the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari recorded “300 per cent more schoolchildren abductions” than that of his predecessor, Goodluck Jonathan. The pattern has continued under President Bola Tinubu, with new cases surfacing in multiple northern states.
At least 16 major school abductions have taken place in ten northern states since 2014, based on documented media reports. The attacks have generated significant ransom payments and disrupted education in affected communities.
In 2024, gunmen abducted six pupils and three teachers in Emure, Ekiti State, and later in March, seized 287 children from the LEA Primary and Junior Secondary School, Kuriga, Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State. Days after, another 15 students were taken from a school in Gada, Sokoto.
The previous year saw abductions in Nasarawa and Zamfara. In 2021, mass kidnappings occurred in Niger, Zamfara, Kaduna and Kebbi, including the seizure of more than 150 students from Bethel Baptist High School, Damishi, in Chikun Local Government Area.
The Kankara abduction in Katsina in 2020 involved more than 300 students, followed days later by another incident in Dandume.
The 2018 Dapchi raid resulted in the kidnapping of 110 students, with some dying in captivity, and Leah Sharibu is still held. The 2014 Chibok abduction remains the most widely known, with more than 100 of the 276 schoolgirls still missing.
