Bring Back Our Girls: Coalition Urges Tinubu To Act On Kebbi, Niger School Abductions

A global coalition of education and child-rights advocates, Bring Back Our Girls Global (BBOG Global), has issued an urgent appeal to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, demanding decisive action following the recent mass abductions of schoolchildren in Kebbi and Niger States.

In an open letter dated Monday, November 24, 2025, the coalition described the latest attacks as part of an “11-year nightmare” of school kidnappings that have continued to traumatise communities across Nigeria.

The letter was signed by BBOG leaders and advocates from Nigeria, the United States, Italy, and New Zealand, including Opeyemi Adamolekun, Tehilah Eisenstadt, Habiba Balogun, Gapani Yanga, Nanre Nafziger, Allen Manasseh, Rose Wingate, Yolanda Preciados, Ayo Obe, Monday Ojon, Ayodeji Kolawole, and Babasola Olalere.

The appeal follows the abduction of 303 students and 12 teachers from St Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools, Papiri, Agwarra LGA, Niger State, on November 21, 2025.

The coalition noted that while fifty students escaped, hundreds remain in captivity.
According to the letter, “The Niger incident occurred just days after 25 schoolgirls and a watchman were kidnapped from Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School (GGCSS), Maga, in Kebbi State, on November 17, 2025.

“The attackers also killed the school’s Vice Principal, Mallam Hassan Makuku (50), and injured another staff member.”

BBOG warned that the latest wave of violence has forced school closures across Kebbi, Katsina, and Plateau States. At the same time, all Federal Government Colleges nationwide have been shut down—leaving thousands of children out of school, especially in Nigeria’s most vulnerable communities.

The group noted that Nigeria has recorded more than 1,800 school abductions since the 2014 Chibok tragedy.

These figures, they stressed, “are not mere statistics but children robbed of their futures and families trapped in fear.”

“President Tinubu, schools must never become battlegrounds. Education is a right, not a death sentence,” the coalition wrote, blaming the failure of government security initiatives—such as the Safe Schools Initiative (2014) and the Safe Schools Declaration (2015)—for leaving 80% of schools unsafe.

The coalition called for urgent and concrete actions, including: “Immediate rescue of all abducted students and teachers.

“An end to negotiations with terrorists, whom they described as criminals.

“Full implementation of the Safe Schools Declaration with measurable timelines.

“Prosecution of officials whose failures contributed to repeated security lapses.

“Long-term psychosocial support and reintegration programmes for survivors and affected communities.

“This crisis has persisted for 11 years. It must end. Bring back our girls—ALL of them,” the statement added.