Save the Children International has condemned the abduction of 23 schoolgirls from Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, in Kebbi State, warning that the incident highlights the persistent and devastating threats to education in Nigeria’s Northwest.
The attack occurred in the early hours of Monday, November 17, 2025, when armed men stormed the school in Danko-Wasagu Local Government Area. A school official was shot dead while another sustained injuries before the assailants whisked the girls away to an undisclosed location.
In a statement made available to Arewa PUNCH, the organisation described the incident as another distressing reminder of the region’s worsening insecurity.
“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,” the group said.
Duncan Harvey, Country Director of Save the Children Nigeria, stressed that the assault violates fundamental child rights protected under national and international law.
“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 stated.
He urged both the Federal Government and the Kebbi State Government to act swiftly to ensure the safe return of the abducted students and bring the perpetrators to justice.
Save the Children also called for strengthened protection measures around schools in high-risk communities, including improved early warning systems, community-based defence structures, and rapid security response mechanisms.
The organisation further pressed for the full implementation of the National Policy on Safety, Security, and Violence-Free Schools, along with the Minimum Standards for Safe Schools, to ensure that learning environments are adequately secured.
Beyond immediate security measures, it encouraged the government to invest in long-term solutions to insecurity such as addressing poverty, unemployment, and weak governance structures.
According to its report, Education Under Attack in Nigeria, at least 70 attacks on schools occurred nationwide between February 2014 and December 2022, with 49 recorded in the Northwest.
These incidents resulted in the abduction of 1,683 learners, the killing of 184 students, and the destruction of 25 school buildings.
Although school attacks had declined in the last two years, the group noted that the Kebbi incident is the first major mass abduction since March 2024, when over 200 pupils were kidnapped in Kuriga, Kaduna State.
“The urgency to act now cannot be overstated,” Save the Children 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.”
