United States Senator, Jim Risch, has strongly criticised the Nigerian government over what he described as its longstanding inability to shield schoolchildren from jihadist and criminal abductions.
Risch, who chairs the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said in a post on 𝕏 that Nigerian students, particularly schoolgirls, remain dangerously exposed to kidnapping, forced conversion, ransom demands and other forms of exploitation.
He wrote, “Nigeria has long failed to protect its schoolchildren from jihadist and criminal abductions, and little has changed.”
He added that as the U.S. continues engagements with the Nigerian government on the “persecution of its most vulnerable citizens,” Washington would “continue to hold them accountable.”
Risch’s remarks came in the wake of another mass abduction in Nigeria’s North-West. On Monday, heavily armed gunmen invaded the Government Girls Secondary School in Maga, Kebbi State, abducting 25 schoolgirls.
The school’s vice principal, Hassan Makuku, was killed during the attack, while a security guard, Ali Shehu, sustained gunshot injuries.
Police spokesperson, Nafi’u Abubakar Kotarkoshi, confirmed that the attackers were “armed with sophisticated weapons” and overwhelmed security on duty.
The incident has further heightened anxiety across the region, where schools have become frequent targets for terrorists and criminal gangs.
Tinubu: Attack Occurred Despite Intelligence Alerts
Reacting to the abduction, President Bola Tinubu disclosed that the attack happened despite earlier intelligence warnings suggesting a likely assault by bandits.
The president urged communities in conflict-prone regions to share timely information and intelligence with security agencies, including the military, police and DSS.
Tinubu described the attack as a painful reminder of the need for strengthened community-security collaboration to prevent further tragedies.
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