Text of a statement by FixPolitics on the rising wave of insecurity, particularly abductions of school children in parts of Nigeria
In the early hours of Monday November 17, Nigerians woke up to yet another horror. Armed men stormed the Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga, Danko/Wasagu Local Government Area of Kebbi State, killing the vice principal and abducting 25 schoolgirls from their hostel.
It is a scene we have witnessed too many times. A scene that should shame a nation of over 200 million people. A scene that reminds us, painfully, of the Chibok girls whose abduction eleven years ago is still not fully resolved.
Nigeria is once again confronted with a question it has refused to answer honestly: Are our children safe? More specifically, are citizens safe? The facts suggest they are not.
A Nation Living Under Fear
The insecurity in Nigeria has reached a frightening level. Bandits, terrorists, and armed gangs now dictate the rhythm of life in many parts of the country. Entire communities in notably the North-West, North East and North Central live in fear. Families go to bed unsure of what the night may bring. Children go to school with the quiet knowledge that they might be the next victims.
This latest attack in Kebbi was not a one-off. It is part of a long, distressing pattern. Since the Chibok abduction in 2014, we have witnessed repeated kidnappings of school children in Borno, Yobe, Niger, Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna, and now Kebbi. The criminals know they can strike with ease. They know the state is weak. They know that, more often than not, they will get away.
The international community is taking notice. Only recently, the President of the United States designated Nigeria a Country of Particular Concern for failing to protect religious freedom and for the worsening climate of violence.
Following on the heels of the US President, Pope Leo XIV has named Nigeria as one of the countries where Christians “suffer discrimination and persecution”. Whether one agrees with the designation or not of the US president or the claims of the Pope, they reflect how the world now views Nigeria: a country struggling to protect its own citizens.
The Girl Child Pays the Highest Price
When schools become battlegrounds, it is the girl child who suffers the most. Parents, especially in rural areas, become afraid to send their daughters to school. They worry about their safety. They fear the trauma that cannot be erased. And so they keep them at home.
This is one of the reasons Nigeria continues to hold the shameful record of having one of the highest numbers of out-of-school children in the world. Millions of girls who should be in classrooms are instead trapped in a life of early marriage, domestic labour, or endless vulnerability. A country that denies girls education denies itself development.
The Spirit of Bring Back Our Girls Must Not Die
We cannot speak about girls’ safety without saluting the powerful voice of the Bring Back Our Girls movement. That citizens-led movement reminded us that when the government fails, citizens must not be silent. It kept the Chibok tragedy in the public conscience. It forced the world to care. Today, as new girls are abducted in Kebbi, the spirit of that movement must rise again. Nigeria cannot afford numbness. We must resist the temptation to accept this tragedy as “normal.”
Leadership Must Prioritize Citizens over Politics
It is deeply troubling that just hours after the Kebbi abduction, President Bola Tinubu dispatched the Vice President, not to Kebbi to console grieving families or rally the security forces, but to Kogi State to receive politicians decamping into the ruling party. That decision sends the wrong message. At a time when national attention should be fixed on rescuing innocent schoolgirls, the Presidency chose political celebration.
Leadership is not only about action; it is also about optics. And the optics here are very poor. A government that prioritises politics over the safety of children weakens public trust. It feeds the belief that ordinary Nigerians are on their own.
Worrisome Security Situation
Kebbi State’s governor says security agencies ignored credible DSS intelligence that an attack on the Maga girls’ school was imminent. According to him, operatives left the school just thirty minutes before the raid, even though they had been deployed overnight.
This echoes painful memories of the Chibok abduction in 2014, when Nigeria reportedly had four hours’ advance warning but failed to intervene. If these reports are true, the repeated security breakdowns suggest more than bad luck. They raise very serious questions: is this incompetence, or something more sinister, neglect or even deliberate sabotage?
Whatever the cause, the pattern is now far too familiar. It is no longer enough to mourn the victims. The security situation nationwide is getting significantly worse. Security lapses are glaring and becoming painfully embarrassing. Nigerians demand accountability. And until systems are fixed, this tragedy will likely repeat.
As we were getting ready to publish this statement, reports filtered in stating that in a chilling escalation of violence, armed bandits struck St. Mary’s Catholic Secondary School in Papiri, Agwara Local Government Area of Niger State, in the early hours of 21 November 2025. Security forces report that assailants broke into the school hostel around 2 a.m., abducting dozens of students and staff.
Local officials say as many as 100 students and teachers may have been taken, though the exact number remains unverified. Citizens now live in fear of terror. Nobody is sure where or when the terrorists and bandits will strike next. But one thing is sure, the security infrastructure will be caught napping as the country’s leadership remains clueless and unable to seize the initiative to restore order, safety and security nationwide.
Meeting the Moment with Immediate Action
#FixPolitics calls on the Federal Government, security agencies, and all responsible institutions to act with urgency. This moment demands seriousness, coordination, and compassion. We propose the following immediate actions:
1. Launch a coordinated rescue operation involving the military, police, local vigilantes, and community networks. Every hour counts.
2. Create a transparent communication structure so that families receive real updates, not rumours or silence.
3. Implement Safe School measures nationwide, including perimeter fencing, lighting, trained security personnel, and rapid alert systems.
4. Strengthen intelligence gathering by working more closely with local communities who often have first-hand knowledge of suspicious movements.
5. Reinforce border controls and forest surveillance, especially in states where bandits operate from forested hideouts.
6. Set up a national coalition on school safety involving government, civil society groups like Bring Back Our Girls, women’s groups, and education experts.
7. Prioritise girl-child education in the budget, ensuring that girls in high-risk areas receive extra support, including psychosocial care and transitional learning programmes.
8. Establish a firm and transparent results delivery index for leaders of the security sector (ministers, deputy ministers, service chiefs, etc) that will ensure that they only keep their jobs after a certain time frame as recently recommended by the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor E A Adeboye.
A Nation Must Protect Its Children, Its Citizens
Nigeria cannot continue like this. Our children cannot keep paying for our failures. The 25 young girls taken in Kebbi are not statistics. They are daughters, sisters, students, and future leaders. Their dreams matter. Their safety matters. Their lives matter. Citizens matter. Human lives matter.
#FixPolitics stands with their families. We call on the Government of Nigeria to treat this tragedy as a national emergency and to act decisively. Government must show, through action, not words, that every Nigerian child deserves to learn in peace and return home alive. And every Nigerian ought to feel safe and be protected wherever they may be in the country.
Enough is enough. Bring back our girls. Protect our schools. Save Nigeria and Nigerians.
Yours Sincerely,
Anthony Ubani
Executive Director
#FixPolitics Africa
