Coalition demands swift rescue of Kebbi schoolgirls, says frequent abductions an indictment

Voices for Inclusion and Equity for Women (VIEW), a coalition of northern women, has demanded urgent, intelligence-driven action to rescue the 25 schoolgirls abducted from Government Girls Comprehensive Senior Secondary School, Maga, in Kebbi state.

In a statement on Wednesday, the coalition said the abduction shows once again that Nigeria has failed to protect its most vulnerable citizens.

It said the kidnapping resurrects painful memories of Chibok, Dapchi, Jangebe, and “countless smaller abductions that never made national news”.

It noted that northern girls continue to face deadly barriers to education despite repeated government promises and heavy investment in the Safe Schools Initiative.

The coalition questioned the silence and absence of key political actors in the north.

“Where are the elected officials who swore oaths to defend the lives of citizens? Where are the governors, the senators, and community leaders who should be standing between our children and danger?” it asked.

The group warned that girls in the region already face cultural and economic barriers to schooling, and should not be forced to “risk abduction, rape and death”.

VIEW called for “immediate, coordinated, swift, intelligence-driven rescue operations — not the slow, fragmented, and poorly communicated responses that have followed far too many tragedies”.

It demanded daily public updates and visible leadership from the president, first lady, Kebbi state governor, Northern Governors’ Forum, Northern Senators Forum, Arewa caucuses, traditional rulers and the national security architecture.

The coalition also said the abduction must be handled as a national emergency, not another incident absorbed into “Nigeria’s growing archive of grief”.

“Every moment these girls spend in captivity deepens their trauma and increases the danger they face. We refuse to allow Maga to become another name on the long list of girls Nigeria has failed,” the statement reads.

“If our leaders truly believe that girls deserve quality education, dignity, and safety, then let them prove it now — not in speeches, but in decisive action.

“No nation can claim to value its future while abandoning its daughters to violence. The girls of Maga must be located, rescued, and reunited with their families without delay. Nothing is more urgent. Nothing is more important.”