A coalition of prominent Northern Nigerian women has expressed outrage over the latest mass abduction of schoolgirls in Kebbi State, while raising urgent questions about the conspicuous silence of Nigeria's National Assembly during the escalating security crisis.
Maga School Attack: Another Security Failure
Armed men stormed the Government Girls Comprehensive Senior Secondary School in Maga, Danko/Wasagu Local Government Area during the early hours of Monday, November 17, 2025. The attackers killed Vice Principal Hassan Yakubu Makuku, wounded a school guard, and abducted 25 students in the brazen dawn raid.
The women's group, Voices for Inclusion and Equity for Women (VIEW), condemned the attack in a strongly worded statement signed by prominent activists including Asmau Joda, Maryam Uwais, Mairo Mandara, Aisha Oyebode, Fatima Akilu, Kadaria Ahmed, Larai Ocheja Amusan, and Ier Jonathan-Ichaver.
VIEW described the incident as a direct challenge to Nigeria's leadership and collective humanity, emphasizing that this was not merely another security incident but a brutal indictment of years of unfulfilled promises and weak implementation of the Safe Schools Initiative.
Pattern of Neglect Endangers Northern Girls
Many of the women who signed the statement were active in the #BringBackOurGirls movement and have spent years working directly with communities traumatized by insecurity. They noted that despite national grief and global attention following mass abductions in Chibok, Dapchi, Jangebe, and numerous smaller attacks across Northern Nigeria, schools remain dangerously exposed.
More than a decade after repeated tragedies, Northern Nigeria is still one of the most dangerous places in the world for a girl to pursue an education, the statement read. Our daughters are once again missing. And we must ask, with pain, anger, and clarity, where are our leaders?
VIEW accused political leaders, security agencies, and northern representatives of failing to defend girls who already face significant cultural and economic barriers. The coalition demanded:
- Swift, intelligence-driven rescue operations
- Daily public updates on progress
- Visible leadership from all security and political authorities
Parliamentary Silence in Crisis Times
The absence of Nigeria's National Assembly during this national emergency raises serious concerns about the state of the country's representative democracy. As the most important arm of government in a democracy, the legislature's primary role is to represent the people's interests and ensure their voices are heard.
When a parliament loses its voice in crisis times, the consequences can be dire. The current situation demonstrates a worrying fusion of powers rather than separation of powers, creating perception of state capture by the executive branch.
Evidence of this troubling trend includes officials of the Three Arms of Government routinely replacing the National Anthem with the President's Anthem: On Your Mandate, We Shall Stand...
Consequences of Legislative Inaction
The failure of parliamentary oversight in Nigeria's current security crisis has several damaging consequences:
Lack of accountability: Without parliamentary scrutiny, the executive branch may act with impunity. Why are National Assembly members not questioning why the President has failed to nominate ambassadors to the Senate for screening since recalling the old envoys more than two years ago?
Erosion of trust: Citizens are losing faith in their government and democratic institutions, leading to widespread disillusionment. People cannot find any hope of a better tomorrow, which Ngugi wa Thiong'o describes as the only comfort you can give to a weeping child.
Human rights violations: The absence of parliamentary scrutiny enables human rights abuses, as seen in allegations of demolitions, land grabs, and rights violations by FCT authorities that the federal legislature has failed to address.
Historical Lessons for Nigerian Legislature
The U.S. Congress and British Parliament provide compelling examples of legislative bodies rising to the occasion during times of crisis. The U.S. Congress played a pivotal role during the American Revolution, convening in 1774 to respond to the Intolerable Acts that restricted colonial rights.
Similarly, the British Parliament, despite initial missteps during the American Revolution, eventually demonstrated the power of representative government by repealing the Townshend Duties in response to colonial concerns about taxation without representation.
Nigeria's National Assembly could draw inspiration from these historical examples by:
- Convening emergency sessions on the security crisis
- Exercising proper oversight of security spending and strategies
- Demanding accountability from security agencies
- Representing the urgent concerns of constituents
As reports emerge of additional mass abductions from schools in Niger and Nasarawa states, the need for legislative leadership becomes increasingly urgent. The women of VIEW have declared that northern women are tired of mourning and of leaders offering condolences instead of concrete solutions.
No nation can claim to value its future while abandoning its daughters to violence, VIEW stated. The girls of Maga must be located, rescued, and reunited with their families without delay. Nothing is more urgent. Nothing is more important. Their return is a test of our leadership and our humanity.
The continued silence of Nigeria's National Assembly during this escalating crisis threatens not only the safety of schoolchildren but the very foundations of the country's democratic institutions.
