Save the Children Decries Abduction of 23 Kebbi Schoolgirls, Demands Swift Government Action

Save the Children has strongly condemned the abduction of 23 female students from Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, in the Danko-Wasagu area of Kebbi State, urging immediate action to secure their freedom and improve school safety nationwide.

According to reports, armed attackers stormed the school in the early hours of Monday, November 17, 2025, killing one staff member and injuring another before whisking the students away to an unknown destination.

In a statement made available to our correspondent, the organisation described the incident as another painful reminder of the ongoing security challenges plaguing northern Nigeria, especially the northwest, where repeated assaults on schools continue to disrupt learning and traumatise communities.

“This appalling attack highlights the ongoing dangers facing education in Nigeria, particularly in the Northwest where children—especially girls—remain vulnerable to violence,” the organisation stated. Country Director Duncan Harvey added that the assault is a grave violation of children’s fundamental rights as protected by the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and Nigeria’s Child Rights Act.

Save the Children called on both the Federal Government and Kebbi State authorities to act urgently to rescue the abducted students and bring the perpetrators to justice. It further advocated for stronger protection in schools across high-risk regions through early warning systems, community-led safety structures, and rapid response units.

The organisation also stressed the need for full implementation of the National Policy on Safety, Security, and Violence-Free Schools and the Minimum Standards for Safe Schools, while urging long-term investments that tackle root causes of insecurity, such as poverty, unemployment, and poor governance.

Noting that school attacks had declined in recent years, the group pointed out that the Kebbi incident is the first major school abduction since March 2024, when over 200 pupils were kidnapped in Kuriga, Kaduna State. Citing its Education Under Attack in Nigeria report, Save the Children said that between 2014 and 2022, at least 70 school attacks were recorded nationwide—49 of them in the northwest—resulting in 1,683 abductions, 184 student deaths, and the destruction of 25 school buildings.

“The urgency to act cannot be overstated,” the organisation warned. “Education is a fundamental right. Government, communities, and partners must work together to ensure every child can learn in safety. No child should ever have to risk their life to go to school.”