Raises concern over rising terror attacks.

A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Dr Ile Joseph, has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to “rise to the insecurity challenges in the country and fulfil his constitutional responsibility of securing the lives and properties of Nigerians.”

Joseph expressed concern over what he described as the escalating wave of terrorist attacks and targeted killings in the Northern region.

He called for a decisive and urgent response to the menace.

Joseph said failure to address the situation should give room for the President’s resignation.

Joseph, an industrialist who hails from Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area (ONELGA), lamented that Nigerians have shown enough patience with the Federal Government, despite enduring years of worsening insecurity.

He further appealed to the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) to urgently convene a National Emergency Conference on what he described as an ongoing “genocidal assault,” insisting that the Church must take a stronger position in defending vulnerable communities, promoting peace, and providing humanitarian support to victims of violence.

According to him, security remains the bedrock of economic development, youth empowerment, investments, and national cohesion.

He warned that unless swift and pragmatic action is taken by the government and stakeholders, the consequences could become “far more catastrophic for the nation.”

Dr. Joseph emphasised that no nation thrives under fear, instability, and unchecked violence, noting that restoring public confidence in Nigeria’s security architecture has become a matter of urgency and national importance.

The Guardian reports that Nigeria, in recent times, has witnessed a troubling escalation in the kidnapping of schoolchildren, particularly in the northern regions, where armed bandits regularly target boarding schools.

On 17 November 2025, gunmen stormed the Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga, Kebbi State.

The attackers, arriving on motorcycles in the pre-dawn hours, exchanged fire with security forces before breaching the school’s perimeter and abducting 25 female students from their dormitory. During the assault, the school’s vice-principal, Malam Hassan Makuku, was shot and killed. Families, security personnel, and local vigilante groups have since launched a rescue effort, combing nearby forests for the missing students.

A second incident occurred just a few days later in Niger State. Armed men invaded St Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools in Papiri, Agwara Local Government Area, abducting pupils, students, and teachers. The Catholic Diocese of Kontagora confirmed that the attackers forced their way into the school between 1 a.m. and 3 a.m., firing on security personnel and taking away no fewer than 200 people. The Niger State government expressed particular concern because intelligence warnings had already flagged the region as high-risk.

These recent incidents bring to mind earlier kidnappings, such as the 2021 raid on a Kagara school in Niger State and the mass abduction of students in Zamfara, highlighting how the phenomenon of school-targeted violence is deeply embedded in Nigeria’s security crisis.