A United States senator has issued a strong condemnation of Nigeria following the abduction of dozens of schoolgirls in Kebbi State, warning that the country will be held accountable for its repeated security failures.
The lawmaker, Senator Jim Risch, criticised Nigeria’s handling of student safety and declared that Washington will not overlook the country’s inability to protect its most vulnerable citizens.
Risch, in a message shared on X, said schoolchildren — especially girls — have continued to face violent attacks despite years of killings and kidnappings by armed groups.
He stressed that “Nigeria has long failed to protect its schoolchildren from jihadist and criminal abductions, and little has changed.”
He added that as the United States continues its engagements with Nigerian authorities, “we will continue to hold them accountable.”
His comments follow last week’s brutal attack on Government Girls Comprehensive Senior Secondary School in Maga, Kebbi State.
Gunmen stormed the school, shot and killed the vice principal, and kidnapped 25 female students in an operation that left the community devastated and the country on edge.
Another US lawmaker, Riley Moore, also reacted to the tragedy, urging prayers for the victims.
Moore said, “Please join me in praying for the 25 girls who have been kidnapped and for the repose of the soul of their vice principal, who was killed.”
He noted that the incident happened in a Christian community in Northern Nigeria, insisting that the government must intensify efforts to curb the escalating violence.
Back home, the federal government has stepped up response efforts.
President Bola Tinubu directed Vice President Kashim Shettima to visit Kebbi State to meet with families of the abducted schoolgirls and assure them that the government is working toward their safe release.
The military has also intensified its operations. The Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Waidi Shaibu, who arrived in the state with senior officers, ordered troops of Operation FANSAN YANMA to pursue the kidnappers relentlessly.
Addressing soldiers on the ground, he said, “You must continue day and night fighting. We must find these children.”
Shaibu held a closed-door operational meeting with frontline commanders before visiting deployed troops.
He instructed them to sweep surrounding forests and expand search operations until the girls are rescued.