U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R‑Idaho), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, condemned President Bola Tinubu’s Nigerian government for its handling of the growing insecurity, especially the recent school kidnappings.

After 25 girls were abducted by terrorists from Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga, Danko‑Wasagu Local Government Area, Kebbi State, Risch warned that the United States would hold Nigeria responsible for failing to protect its schoolchildren and other vulnerable citizens.

In a statement on his verified X (formerly Twitter) account, he said Nigeria has repeatedly failed to safeguard its schoolchildren and vulnerable people from jihadist and criminal gangs that keep targeting schools, noting, “Nigeria has long failed to protect its schoolchildren from jihadist and criminal abductions, and little has changed.”

The United States is talking with Nigeria about the mistreatment of its most vulnerable people and will keep demanding accountability.

Risch made these comments after the recent outrage—both locally and internationally over Monday’s attack in Kebbi, where 25 girls from Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School were abducted and the school’s vice‑principal was killed.

This incident is another grim chapter in Nigeria’s long‑running series of school kidnappings. Since the 2014 Chibok abduction, when Boko Haram took 276 girls from Borno State and sparked worldwide condemnation, Nigeria has faced repeated large‑scale attacks on schools, including the Dapchi (Yobe State), Jangebe (Zamfara State), Tegina (Niger State), Kankara (Katsina State) and Kuriga (Kaduna State) episodes.

Many of the kidnapped students were held for ransom, and some endured forced religious conversion or violence. Human‑rights groups have repeatedly raised concerns about these abuses. 

Join us on our WhatsApp Platform @KOIKIMEDIA NEWS YOUR PAGE

KoikiMedia Bringing the World 🌎 Closer to Your Doorstep