U.S. Senator Risch Slams Tinubu Govt Over Kebbi School Abductions
A United States Senator, Jim Risch (R-Idaho), has criticised the Bola Tinubu-led Nigerian government over its failure to tackle rising insecurity, particularly the repeated abduction of schoolchildren.
Reacting to the kidnapping of 25 girls from the Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School (GGCSS) in Maga, Danko-Wasagu Local Government Area of Kebbi State, Risch warned that the U.S. would hold Nigeria accountable for its inability to protect vulnerable citizens.
In a statement on his verified X (formerly Twitter) account, the Republican lawmaker and Chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee said, “Nigeria has long failed to protect its schoolchildren from jihadist and criminal abductions, and little has changed.
“Students, especially girls, remain targets for enslavement, conversion. As the U.S. engages the Nigerian government on the persecution of its most vulnerable citizens, we will continue to hold them accountable.”
Risch’s comments come amid outrage over Monday’s attack, which also saw the killing of the school’s vice-principal, marking yet another grim episode in northern Nigeria’s decade-long wave of school kidnappings.
Since the 2014 Chibok abduction, where Boko Haram kidnapped 276 girls in Borno State, Nigeria has witnessed repeated mass kidnappings in Dapchi (Yobe), Jangebe (Zamfara), Tegina (Niger), Kankara (Katsina), and Kuriga (Kaduna).
Victims have often been held for ransom, forced to convert, or subjected to violence, raising serious concerns over the right to education, especially for girls.
Kebbi State itself saw a major attack in 2021, when gunmen abducted more than 80 students from the Federal Government College, Birnin Yauri. Some remained in captivity for months.
One of the 25 girls kidnapped in Maga has escaped and reunited with her family, but analysts warn the attack underscores a worrying trend: armed groups exploiting weak rural security to carry out kidnappings for financial and ideological gains.
Senator Risch, who has previously pressed Nigeria on religious freedom and responses to insurgency and banditry, criticised the government amid renewed international concern over its failure to protect citizens despite promises of security reforms.
Following the Kebbi abductions, the Nigerian military launched intensified search operations, while state authorities pledged to ensure the safe return of the missing girls. Families and advocacy groups, however, insist that proactive security measures are urgently needed, not just reactive deployments.
Risch’s statement brings renewed global attention to Nigeria’s worsening security crisis, amplifying calls for accountability, structural reform, and sustained efforts to safeguard the country’s most vulnerable.
Titilope Adako is a talented and intrepid journalist, dedicated to shedding light on the untold stories of Osun State and Nigeria. Through incisive reporting, she tackles a broad spectrum of topics, from politics and social justice to culture and entertainment, with a commitment to accuracy, empathy, and inspiring positive change.
