Kebbi school attack: ‘We will hold Nigeria accountable’ — US senator, Jim Risch

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Kebbi school attack: ‘We will hold Nigeria accountable’ — US senator, Jim Risch

Published on Wed 19 Nov 2025

 United States Senator Jim Risch has condemned the Nigerian government over the recent abduction of 25 schoolgirls in Kebbi State, insisting that Nigeria has consistently failed to protect students from jihadist and criminal attacks.

Risch, who represents Idaho in the U.S. Senate, issued a statement on Tuesday via his official X handle, expressing concern that schoolchildren, especially girls, remain prime targets for abduction, forced conversion and ransom.

He warned that the U.S. will continue to pressure the Nigerian government to safeguard vulnerable citizens, stressing that Washington will “hold Nigeria accountable” over persistent security lapses.

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 “Nigeria has long failed to protect its schoolchildren from jihadist and criminal abductions, and little has changed,” the senator wrote.

“As the U.S. engages the Nigerian government on the persecution of its most vulnerable citizens, we will continue to hold them accountable.”

His reaction follows Sunday night’s attack on Government Girls Comprehensive Senior Secondary School, Maga, in Kebbi State, where armed men killed the vice principal, Hassan Yakubu Makuku, and abducted 25 female students.

The incident has drawn widespread outrage both within and outside Nigeria.

“While we don’t have all the details on this horrific attack, we know that the attack occurred in a Christian enclave in Northern Nigeria. The Nigerian government must do more to end the rampant violence.”