United States Senator Jim Risch strongly criticized the Nigerian government following the recent abduction of 25 schoolgirls in Kebbi State, asserting that Nigeria has repeatedly failed to protect students from attacks by militants and criminals.
Senator Risch, representing Idaho, released a statement on his official X account on Tuesday, expressing concern that students, especially girls, continue to be primary targets for kidnapping, forced conversion, and ransom demands.
He warned that the U.S. will keep pressuring the Nigerian government to protect vulnerable citizens, emphasizing that Washington will “hold Nigeria accountable” for ongoing security failures.
The Senator wrote, “Nigeria has long failed to protect its schoolchildren from jihadist and criminal abductions, and little has changed. As the U.S. engages the Nigerian government on the persecution of its most vulnerable citizens, we will continue to hold them accountable.”
This reaction follows the Sunday night attack on Government Girls Comprehensive Senior Secondary School, Maga, in Kebbi State, where armed men killed the Vice Principal, Hassan Yakubu Makuku, and kidnapped 25 female students. The event has caused widespread anger both in Nigeria and internationally.
Risch added that while full details of the “horrific attack” are not yet available, “we know that the attack occurred in a Christian enclave in Northern Nigeria. The Nigerian government must do more to end the rampant violence.”
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