US Senator Jim Risch of Idaho has condemned Nigeria over the recent abduction of schoolgirls in Kebbi State, saying the country has repeatedly failed to protect its students from attacks by jihadists and criminal gangs.

In a statement posted on X on Tuesday, Risch highlighted that schoolchildren, particularly girls, remain prime targets for enslavement, forced conversion, and ransom.

He added that the United States will continue engaging the Nigerian government on the protection of its most vulnerable citizens and stressed that the country will be held accountable for lapses in security.

?Nigeria has long failed to protect its schoolchildren from jihadist and criminal abductions, and little has changed,? he wrote.

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

The statement comes in the wake of the deadly attack on Government Girls Comprehensive Senior Secondary School, Maga, in Kebbi, where gunmen killed the vice principal and abducted 25 students, triggering national and international outrage.

Also reacting to the abduction, United States lawmaker Riley Moore, in a post shared on X yesterday, condemned the incident and called for prayers for the victims. ?Please join me in praying for the 25 girls who have been kidnapped and for the repose of the soul of their vice principal, who was killed.

?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,?? he wrote.

Recall Vanguard reported that Bola Tinubu has asked Vice President Kashim Shettima to visit Kebbi State today to sympathise with the state government and assure parents and guardians of the kidnapped schoolgirls that the government would ensure their quick release.

Similarly, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt General Waidi Shaibu, has directed troops of Operation FANSAN YANMA to leave no stone unturned in the ongoing search-and-rescue operation for abducted students.

Speaking during a visit to the state, Shaibu ordered the soldiers to intensify day and night operations until all the abducted schoolgirls were safely rescued.

According to Zagazola Makama, a counter-insurgency publication, the army chief arrived in the state with a delegation of principal staff officers from army headquarters.

He held an operational meeting with frontline commanders in Kebbi before addressing troops deployed in the search effort.

Shaibu reminded officers and soldiers that a ruthless determination to succeed was essential, saying, ?You must continue day and night fighting. We must find these children.? (VANGUARD)

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