Women's coalition condemns Kebbi schoolgirls' abduction, calls for swift action to rescue them

A coalition of women’s rights advocates from North-central, North-east, and North-west Nigeria, Voices for Inclusion and Equity for Women (VIEW), has condemned the abduction of 25 schoolgirls from Government Girls Comprehensive Senior Secondary School, Maga, in Kebbi State.

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The coalition called it a “brutal indictment” of Nigeria’s continued failure to protect its most vulnerable citizens.

On Monday, armed men invaded the school at dawn, killed the Vice Principal and dragged at least 25 girls into captivity.

The attack has drawn national and global condemnation, with celebrities and activists demanding immediate action to rescue the students.

VIEW’s Position

In a statement signed by leading Northern women, including Asmau Joda, Maryam Uwais, Mairo Mandara, Aisha Oyebode, Fatima Akilu, Kadaria Ahmed, Larai Ocheja Amusan, and Ier Jonathan-Ichaver, VIEW said the Kebbi abductions show that Northern Nigeria “remains one of the most dangerous places in the world for a girl to pursue an education.”

“This is not simply another security incident,” the coalition said. “It is a brutal indictment of the Nigerian State’s failure to protect its most vulnerable citizens.”

Referencing more than a decade of mass abductions from Chibok to Dapchi to Jangebe, VIEW said the region is “reliving the same nightmare,” despite years of promises and significant funding through the Safe Schools Initiative.

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“We have watched promises being made at the highest levels. We have watched large amounts of funds flow into the Safe Schools Initiative, designed specifically to prevent another mass kidnapping. Yet today, our schools remain as exposed as ever. Our daughters are once again missing,” the statement said.

“Where are our leaders?” The coalition asked pointed questions of elected officials and traditional leaders, demanding accountability for the persistent failures that expose schoolgirls to abduction, rape, and death.

“Where are the elected officials who swore oaths to defend the lives of citizens? Where are the representatives who claim to speak for the North?” VIEW asked.

“Where are the security agencies that are meant to implement the Safe Schools Initiative with seriousness, diligence, and transparency?”

It warned that girls in Northern Nigeria, who already face cultural and economic barriers to schooling, now face the added danger of being kidnapped.

“We cannot ignore the question haunting every mother in Northern Nigeria tonight: is this part of a larger plan — intentional or through neglect — to keep northern girls uneducated, silent, and powerless?” the coalition said.

Demands for action

VIEW called for a coordinated, intelligence-driven rescue operation and criticised what it described as slow and fragmented responses that follow such tragedies.

The group called directly on the President and First Lady, the Governor of Kebbi State, the Northern Governors’ Forum, the Northern Senators Forum, Arewa House of Representatives Caucus, the Arewa Consultative Forum, traditional and faith leaders, and national security heads, including the National Security Adviser (NSA), Chief of Defence Staff, and Inspector-General of Police, to “stand up and be counted.”

“This is not a moment for silence. This is not a moment for excuses. This is a moment for accountability and swift action,” the women said. “Every moment these girls spend in captivity deepens their trauma and increases the danger they face. We have seen too many disappear forever.”

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The coalition demanded that the abduction be treated as a national emergency, not a political talking point.

“Northern women are tired of mourning. Tired of pleading. Tired of burying children while those in power offer condolences instead of solutions,” VIEW said.

It insisted that the girls must be located and rescued without delay, adding that their safe return is a test of Nigeria’s leadership and “our humanity.”

“No nation can claim to value its future while abandoning its daughters to violence. Nothing is more urgent. Nothing is more important,” the group said.