25 Schoolgirls Abducted in Kebbi: Save the Children Demands Urgent Government Action
Editor
An International non governmental organization Save the Children has condemned the abduction of 25 female students from Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga, Danko-Wasagu Local Government Area of Kebbi State, calling it a devastating reminder of the growing insecurity facing schoolchildren across northern Nigeria.
The attack, carried out in the early hours of Monday, 17 November 2025, left one school official dead and another injured before the assailants took the girls to an unknown location.
The organisation described the incident as a “horrific violation” of children’s right to education, stressing that girls in the northwest continue to face violence simply for trying to learn. It noted that repeated assaults on schools not only traumatise young learners but also weaken communities and threaten the country’s long-term development.
Duncan Harvey, Save the Children’s Country Director, reiterated that education is a fundamental right protected by both the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and Nigeria’s Child Rights Act, adding that the safety of children “is a collective responsibility.”
Save the Children has urged the Federal and Kebbi State Governments to act swiftly to secure the release of the abducted girls and bring the perpetrators to justice. The organisation is also calling for stronger security measures around schools in high-risk communities, full implementation of the National Policy on Safety, Security, and Violence-Free Schools, and long-term investment in tackling the root causes of insecurity, including poverty and youth unemployment.
According to the group, Nigeria recorded at least 70 school attacks between 2014 and 2022, with the northwest accounting for 49 of them. During that period, 1,683 learners were abducted, 184 killed, and 25 school buildings destroyed. This latest incident is the first major school abduction since the Kuriga attack of March 2024.
Save the Children emphasised that education should never cost a child their life, urging government, community leaders, and partners to work together to ensure that every school is a safe place to learn.
