Save the Children has condemned the abduction of 23 female students from the Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga, Kebbi State, calling for urgent action to secure their release and improve school safety nationwide.
The attack occurred in the early hours of Monday, November 17 2025, when armed assailants reportedly killed a school official, injured another, and took the girls to an unknown location. The incident highlights ongoing insecurity in northern Nigeria, particularly the northwest, where repeated attacks on schools have disrupted education and traumatised communities.
Duncan Harvey, Country Director of Save the Children Nigeria, said the abduction violated children’s fundamental rights under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and Nigeria’s Child Rights Act. He urged the federal and state governments to act swiftly, hold perpetrators accountable, and strengthen school security through early warning systems and community-based protection.
The organisation also called for the full implementation of national safety policies and for investment in long-term measures to address poverty, youth unemployment, and weak governance.
Although school attacks have declined in recent years, the Kebbi abduction is the first major kidnapping since March 2024, when over 200 students were abducted from Kuriga, Kaduna State. Save the Children warned that “education is not a privilege; it is a fundamental right” and urged coordinated action to ensure school safety.
