Save the Children on Wednesday condemned the abduction of 23 female students from Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, in Danko-Wasagu Local Government Area of Kebbi State, calling for urgent measures to secure their release and strengthen school safety nationwide.
Our correspondent reports that armed assailants reportedly invaded the school in the early hours of Monday, 17 November 2025, killing a school official and injuring another before abducting the girls to an unknown location.
The organisation in a press statement obtained by our correspondent described the incident as a painful reminder of the persistent security crisis affecting the northern region, particularly the northwest, where continuous attacks on schools have disrupted children’s education and left communities deeply traumatized.
“This horrific attack underscores the persistent threats to education in Nigeria, especially in the northwest where children, particularly girls, continue to face violence and insecurity,” Save the Children said in a statement.
Duncan Harvey, Country Director of Save the Children Nigeria, stressed that the attack violates the fundamental rights of children.
“The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and Nigeria’s Child Rights Act recognise education as a fundamental right. We all have a collective responsibility to ensure that children, regardless of their circumstances, can fulfil this right,” Harvey said.
Save the Children urged the Federal Government and the Kebbi State Government to act swiftly and decisively to secure the release of the abducted girls and ensure that the perpetrators are held accountable. It also called for enhanced security around schools in high-risk areas through early warning systems, community-based protection structures, and rapid response mechanisms.
The organisation further emphasised the need for stronger implementation of the National Policy on Safety, Security and Violence-Free Schools as well as the Minimum Standards for Safe Schools, to guarantee that learning environments are adequately protected. It also encouraged investment in long-term measures that address the underlying drivers of insecurity, including poverty, youth unemployment, and weak governance structures.
Save the Children noted that although school-related attacks had reduced in recent years, the Kebbi abduction marks the first major school kidnapping since March 2024, when more than 200 pupils were taken from Kuriga, Kaduna State.
Citing its report, Education Under Attack in Nigeria, the organisation revealed that between February 2014 and December 2022, at least 70 attacks on schools occurred across the country, with 49 recorded in the northwest alone. These attacks led to the abduction of 1,683 learners, the killing of 184 students, and the destruction of 25 school buildings.
“The urgency to act now cannot be overstated,” the organisation warned. “Education is not a privilege; it is a fundamental right. Government, communities, and partners must unite to make every school a safe and protected place for learning. No child should pay for education with their life.”
