Human Rights Watch warns Nigeria after mass school abductions, urging urgent action to protect students amid rising Nigeria school kidnappings.

New York, United States – November 25, 2025: Human Rights Watch has urged Nigerian authorities to secure the immediate release of students and teachers kidnapped in recent attacks across the country’s northwest, warning that the surge in abductions reveals a dangerous escalation in the nation’s security crisis.

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According to the organisation, unidentified armed men kidnapped 25 schoolgirls from the Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga, Kebbi State, on November 18.

Just three days later, 303 students and 12 teachers were abducted from St Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary School in Papiri, Niger State.

Nigeria researcher at Human Rights Watch Anietie Ewang described the incidents as a deliberate assault on children and learning environments, saying the mass kidnappings expose the government’s continued inability to protect vulnerable communities.

Ewang said the deepening crisis highlights a failure to implement safeguards despite repeated warnings over school insecurity.

No group has claimed responsibility, though Nigeria has faced relentless attacks by armed criminal groups known locally as bandits.

The situation has grown more volatile after the al-Qaeda-linked Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims claimed its first incursion into Nigerian territory following an attack on a military patrol in Kwara State in late October.

Parents of the kidnapped girls in Kebbi State told Human Rights Watch that security had been absent at the time of the attack, despite earlier warnings of possible bandit activity.

One father, Isa Nazifi, whose 13-year-old daughter Khadija was abducted, said he would not return home without her.

Another parent, Malam Sani Zimri, said confidence created by earlier military surveillance quickly collapsed when no security personnel were present during the three-hour raid.

Nigeria continues to struggle with the legacy of school attacks dating back to the 2014 Chibok abductions, with repeated mass kidnappings in Katsina, Kaduna, Zamfara, Sokoto and Niger States over the last decade.

Human Rights Watch said the authorities have not implemented effective early-warning systems or preventive structures, despite these patterns.

President Bola Tinubu has directed security agencies to act swiftly and appealed for local intelligence support.

The government has also shut down dozens of federal schools, while several states have suspended or restricted academic activities.

Human Rights Watch warned that without alternative learning measures, thousands of children risk long-term educational and emotional setbacks.

Nigeria is a signatory to the Safe Schools Declaration, which requires increased protection for education during conflict.

The Senate has ordered a full investigation into the Safe School Fund following concerns over its impact.

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Ewang said Nigerian authorities must prioritise the safe return of abducted students and ensure justice for those responsible, stressing that children should never fear going to school.