By Peter.
The United States has strongly denounced the recent school kidnappings in Nigeria, labeling them “crimes” that demand swift justice and enhanced protections for vulnerable groups, including Christians.
In a statement posted on X on Monday, November 24, 2025, the State Department’s Bureau of African Affairs called for immediate action:
“The United States condemns the mass abduction of reportedly over 300 students and teachers from St. Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri, Niger State, Nigeria, and the kidnapping, just days before, of 25 schoolgirls from the Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga, Kebbi State. Those responsible for these crimes must be swiftly captured and held accountable. The Nigerian government must act decisively and do more to protect Christians and ensure Nigerians can live, learn, and practice their religion freely without fear or terror.”
The remarks underscore Washington’s growing alarm over Nigeria’s security crisis, amid President Donald Trump’s prior threats of military intervention if Christian communities remain unprotected.
The Kebbi Abduction: 25 Girls Taken, Vice Principal Killed
On November 17, 2025, gunmen stormed the Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga, Kebbi State, around 4 a.m., killing Vice Principal Hassan Makuku and abducting 25 female students (aged 10–17). One girl escaped and reunited with her family; the rest remain missing, sparking parental vigils and anger over security lapses—guards reportedly left 30 minutes prior, after posing for photos with students. President Tinubu dispatched Minister of State for Defence Bello Matawalle to oversee rescues; Gov. Nasir Idris vowed “no stone unturned.”
The Niger Abduction: Over 300 Seized from Catholic School
Four days later, on November 21, gunmen raided St. Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary School in Papiri, Agwara LGA, Niger State, between 1–3 a.m., abducting 303 students (mostly girls, aged 7–18) and 12 teachers—one of Nigeria’s worst mass kidnappings since 2014’s Chibok. A security guard was shot; 50 students escaped. The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) confirmed numbers via a missing-persons census; the Diocese of Kontagora condemned the “barbaric act” and demanded rescues. State Gov. Muhammad Umar Bago blamed the school for ignoring a boarding closure order amid threats; all Niger schools shut indefinitely.
Broader Crisis: Echoes of Chibok, Government Response
These attacks—amid over 200 abductions in two weeks—evoke Boko Haram’s 2014 Chibok kidnapping (276 girls) and signal banditry’s resurgence in the northwest, fueled by poverty, arms proliferation, and weak borders. States like Kwara, Plateau, Katsina, Niger, and Taraba have closed schools; Taraba ordered de-boarding. Tinubu canceled trips for security ops; Senate demands troop boosts and fund probes. U.S. Rep. Riley Moore echoed the condemnation, calling for Christian protections.
As rescues grind on, Nigeria grapples with a “kidnap economy” claiming thousands yearly—will this tipping point force systemic change?
#NigeriaAbductions #KebbiNigerKidnappings #USCondemns #SchoolSafetyNG
