The African Women Lawyers Association (AWLA) has called for urgent national and international intervention to secure the release of students abducted from Government Girls Comprehensive Senior Secondary School, Maga, in Kebbi State.
The appeal came yesterday during the ongoing AWLA International Conference 2025 in Benin Republic, where members from across Africa, strongly condemned the attack in which gunmen killed the school’s principal before abducting several female students.
Speaking on behalf of the association, International Alternate Chair, Litigation, Abiodun Kolawole, also known as Iya Gani Fawehinmi, said the abduction underscored the deepening insecurity faced by schoolchildren across Nigeria.
“We are devastated by what happened in Kebbi. This is heartbreaking. This is unacceptable,” she said.
Kolawole urged the Nigerian government, the African Union, ECOWAS, the United Nations and global partners to move swiftly to locate and rescue the students. “These girls must be found. Their families are in pain. Their mothers are desperate. We need every organisation, every government and every individual of conscience to join this call. Our children deserve protection. They deserve a future,” she said.
She also appealed to the media to amplify the demand for a coordinated rescue effort. “We want the media to spread this message across the world. We are not asking for anything extraordinary. We are asking for safety for our children and for urgent steps to bring every one of these girls home,” she said.
During the session, AWLA members recited the names of the abducted students, insisting that the girls must not be forgotten. “We are calling their names because they are not numbers. They are daughters, sisters and future leaders. We are joining hands with Nigerians everywhere and with the global community to demand their immediate release,” she said.
AWLA also urged security agencies to deploy all available intelligence and technology to track the girls, warning that time is critical in cases of mass abduction.
President, International Network of Women Lawyers in Benin Republic, Alice Codjia-Sohouenou, expressed solidarity with Nigerians, saying women in the Benin Republic face similar threats of violence and marginalisation. She said her association is committed to using legal expertise to protect women, noting that advocates themselves are often sidelined.
Administrator, AWLA Ghana, Marian Karina Darlington, highlighted the existence of strong legal frameworks such as the Domestic Violence Act in Ghana but warned that enforcement remains weak. “If you don’t have laws, there are no offenders. After having the laws, don’t go to sleep seek enforcement. Educate people on the laws so they understand their rights, the implications of violence, and where victims can seek redress,” she said.
She stressed that violence against women is wrong but still persists, calling for renewed commitment to eliminate all forms of abuse across the continent.
