Senate Condemns Kebbi School Attack, Demands Urgent Rescue Of Abducted Students

Senators, on Tuesday, erupted in anger over the deadly assault on Government Girls Secondary School, Maga, in Kebbi State, where gunmen killed a vice principal and abducted about 25 female students.

The lawmakers’ outrage followed a motion raised by Senator Yahaya Abdullahi (Kebbi North), prompting a heated debate on the escalating wave of attacks on schools across the country.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio presided over the session, later directing the chamber into a closed-door session to consider sensitive security information.

Senator Ahmad Lawan described the incident as a grave threat to national stability, warning that continued abductions could cost the country its future.

“These children are our future. We have to do everything possible to get them back. Otherwise, the future of Nigeria will be compromised. But time is of the essence to our armed forces,” he cautioned.

Senator Orji Uzor Kalu (Abia North) insisted that security cannot be left solely to the Federal Government.

He cited his experience as a former governor to argue that state executives must take firmer responsibility.

“Security should not only be the job of the Federal Government. I have never blamed former President Olusegun Obasanjo while I was a governor. I went out of my way to help Anambra and other states in terms of security,” he stated.

Senator Victor Umeh (Anambra Central) urged security agencies to leverage surveillance technology to track the abductors, noting that the attackers were still on the move with the students.

“This matter is what many people don’t want to discuss any more. But it is a matter of national importance. They were taken away and are still being moved around. So we urge security agencies to deploy their technology to find them,” he said.

Senator Solomon Lalong (Plateau South) criticised the effectiveness of the World Bank–supported Safe School programme, which he said has failed to protect students despite heavy investments.

“What has the girl child done to Nigeria? What is wrong with the Safe School programme funded by the World Bank? This is the same fate that befell our Chibok girls. It should be treated as a matter of national security before it turns into another Chibok experience,” he warned.

Reacting to lawmakers’ contributions, Senate President Akpabio condemned the attack and called for a united national response to protect schoolchildren.

“The Senate condemns this dastardly act, especially violence against our children. We urge the FG and security agencies to apprehend these criminals and rescue our children without delay,” he said.

He also raised concerns about the logistics used by the attackers, hinting that such information would form part of deliberations at the forthcoming national security summit.

“When we talked about these students being abducted, what did they use to convey them? It is important to get the views of Nigerians to be compiled for our security summit,” Akpabio added.

Senators observed a minute’s silence in honour of the deceased vice principal before the chamber proceeded into a closed-door session.

Nigeria has endured a persistent pattern of deadly attacks on schools, especially across the North, resulting in mass abductions, killings, and long-term disruption of education.

LEADERSHIP earlier reported that gunmen stormed Maga Comprehensive Girls’ Secondary School in the early hours of Monday, killing a vice principal and abducting several students. A school guard was injured during the assault.

Security agencies, including the military and police, have since launched an intensive search-and-rescue operation to locate the abductors and secure the release of the missing students.