A coalition of Northern women, operating under the platform Voices for Inclusion and Equity for Women, has called on the federal government to treat the abduction of schoolgirls in Kebbi State as a national emergency rather than a political talking point or campaign issue.
The attack, carried out in the early hours at Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, in Danko/Wasagu Local Government Area, led to the kidnapping of about 25 students.
The school’s head of security was also killed during the incident.
In a statement signed by Asmau Joda, Maryam Uwais, Mairo Mandara, Aisha Oyebode, Fatima Akilu, Kadaria Ahmed, Larai Ocheja Amusan and Ier Jonathan-Ichaver, the group described the assault as a stark symbol of the state’s inability to safeguard its most vulnerable citizens.
They said the incident “forces us to confront an uncomfortable and devastating truth: after more than a decade of repeated tragedies that Northern Nigeria is still one of the most dangerous places in the world for a girl to pursue an education.”
The women added that “every moment these girls spend in captivity deepens their trauma and increases the danger they face. We have seen too many disappear forever. We refuse to allow the Maga abductions to become another name on the long list of girls Nigeria has failed.”
