Northern Women condemn abduction of Kebbi schoolgirls, demand action from FG

Northern women under the umbrella of Voices for Inclusion and Equity for Women (VIEW) have denounced the abduction of schoolgirls from Government Girls Comprehensive Senior Secondary School, Maga, in Kebbi State.

They called it a grave failure of leadership and a fresh assault on the nation’s conscience.

In a strongly worded statement signed by Asmau Joda, Maryam Uwais, Mairo Mandara, Aisha Oyebode, Fatima Akilu, Kadaria Ahmed, Larai Ocheja Amusan and Ier Jonathan-Ichaver, the group condemned the weekend attack in which armed men stormed the school at dawn, killed the Vice Principal and kidnapped 25 students.

VIEW said the incident reflects the Nigerian State’s persistent inability to protect vulnerable children, stressing that the mass abduction “is not simply another security incident” but evidence of years of broken promises under the Safe Schools Initiative.

The women noted that despite the national trauma from the Chibok, Dapchi, Jangebe and other mass abductions, schools across the North remain dangerously exposed.

Many of the signatories were active in the Bring Back Our Girls movement and have long worked with communities devastated by insecurity.

“More than a decade after repeated tragedies, Northern Nigeria is still one of the most dangerous places in the world for a girl to pursue an education,” they said, adding that “Our daughters are once again missing. And we must ask, with pain, anger and clarity, where are our leaders?”

VIEW accused political and security leaders of failing to defend girls who already face cultural and economic disadvantages.

They warned that the recurring kidnappings raise troubling questions about whether neglect is deepening the marginalisation of northern girls.

The coalition demanded swift, intelligence-led rescue operations and daily public updates, cautioning against the slow and disjointed responses that have marked previous tragedies.

It also urged visible action from the President, the First Lady, the Kebbi State Governor, the Northern Governors’ Forum, the Northern Senators’ Forum, the Arewa caucuses in the National Assembly, traditional institutions, faith leaders and all security chiefs.

“This is not a moment for silence or excuses. The abduction of the Maga girls must be treated as a national emergency—not a political talking point,” the group insisted, adding that “Every moment these girls spend in captivity deepens their trauma and increases the danger they face.”

VIEW further called on Nigerian women to rise in unity, saying northern women are tired of mourning and of leaders offering sympathy instead of solutions.

“No nation can claim to value its future while abandoning its daughters to violence,” the statement read.

“The girls of Maga must be located, rescued and reunited with their families without delay. Their return is a test of our leadership and our humanity.”

Voices for Inclusion and Equity for Women (VIEW) is a coalition working across North Central, North-East and North-West Nigeria to promote equitable and just societies for women.