Nigeria is once again confronting the grim reality of mass abductions as two separate attacks on girls’ schools in Kebbi and Niger states have intensified national anxiety, triggered global reactions, and renewed calls for urgent intervention. From the halls of an international women’s rights conference in Cotonou to distressed communities in northern Nigeria, voices are rising against what many describe as a deepening assault on the country’s most vulnerable—schoolchildren.
The week’s horror began with the abduction of 25 students from Government Girls Comprehensive Senior Secondary School, Maga, in Danko-Wasagu Local Government Area of Kebbi State. Before the country could catch its breath, another attack occurred in the early hours of Friday at St. Mary Secondary School, Papiri, in Agwara Local Government Area of Niger State, where terrorists stormed the school at about 2:00am and whisked away an unconfirmed number of students and staff. The two incidents have thrown the nation into panic and reignited conversations about insecurity, gender-based violence, and the safety of Nigeria’s education system.
In Cotonou, Benin Republic, delegates of the African Women Lawyers Association (AWLA) were attending their International Conference themed “From Margins to Mainstream: The African Woman in Unfettered Sustainable Development” when news of the Kebbi abduction broke. The atmosphere changed instantly, shifting from academic engagement to urgent advocacy. AWLA leaders condemned the attack in strong terms, insisting that the repeated targeting of schoolgirls is a threat to women’s rights and Africa’s development goals. Abiodun Kolawole, the association’s International Alternate Chairman for Litigation, described the attack as a heartbreaking assault on the future of African girls. She said AWLA members were devastated that armed men invaded a school where young girls were trying to learn, calling the attack unacceptable and a tragic reminder of the rising dangers Nigerian children now face. Kolawole urged the Nigerian government, the African Union, ECOWAS, the United Nations, and other international partners to intervene urgently, insisting that the unfolding pattern of school attacks has become an international humanitarian concern that cannot be ignored.
While AWLA’s call echoed across regional circles, Niger State woke up to its own tragedy. Eyewitnesses at St. Mary Secondary School said the attackers struck when the students were asleep. A teacher who escaped narrated that the gunmen shot into the air, broke into the girls’ hostel, and marched terrified students into the bush. The Niger State Police Command confirmed the incident through its spokesperson, SP W. A. Abiodun, noting that security agencies comprising police tactical units, military components, and other operatives had immediately launched a search-and-rescue operation. The Commissioner of Police, CP Adamu Abdullahi Elleman, reiterated that security forces were combing the forests and surrounding communities to locate the abductors, urging residents to stay calm and support ongoing intelligence efforts.
Across both states, the emotional toll is overwhelming. Distressed parents have flooded school premises, crying, praying, and pleading for government intervention. Many have spent hours waiting for updates, unable to return home. In Niger, some mothers said they had not eaten since they heard the news, with one woman telling Symfoni News that she did not know whether her daughter was hungry, scared, or hurt. In Kebbi, community leaders held emergency meetings with local authorities, calling for more decisive federal involvement. The fear has spread to neighbouring communities where principals have temporarily suspended boarding operations, and teachers say the continued attacks have left them demoralized and fearful for their safety.
Security analysts say the latest incidents expose critical gaps in school protection architecture. They argue that Nigeria’s current response strategy is heavily reactive and lacks the preventive measures necessary to safeguard vulnerable communities. They warn that the repeated targeting of girls’ schools, in particular, could deter parents from sending their children—especially daughters—to school, thereby reversing years of progress in girls’ education in northern Nigeria. Human rights advocates also point out that the rising cases of gender-based violence are connected to the broader insecurity crisis. AWLA, in its statements, insisted that violence against women and girls cannot be treated as isolated criminal acts but as national development issues that require structural solutions.
Security forces have expanded rescue operations across the Niger–Benin–Kebbi forest corridor, utilizing ground troops, local vigilante intelligence, and aerial surveillance where possible. Sources say early tracking indicates that both sets of abductors are moving through dense forest terrains commonly used by bandit groups. State governments have held emergency security meetings, and Nigerians are awaiting a possible national address as pressure mounts on the federal government to demonstrate firmer leadership on the matter.
For now, the nation remains on edge, trapped between hope and fear as families wait for the safe return of their children. The unfolding crisis has again placed Nigeria at a familiar crossroads—one where promises of security collide with painful realities on the ground, and where the future of countless children hangs in the balance.
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