American congressman Riley Moore faces fact-checking scrutiny after making unsubstantiated claims about the recent abduction of schoolgirls in Kebbi state, northwestern Nigeria.
The Kebbi School Attack Details
Suspected bandits stormed Government Secondary School in Maga, located in Danko Wasagu local government area, on Monday, November 17, 2025. The attackers kidnapped at least 25 schoolgirls during the invasion that also claimed the lives of vice principal Hassan Makuku and a security guard identified only as Ali.
The assailants reportedly entered the area through forests in neighboring Zamfara state and conducted their operation without interference, despite the presence of two military checkpoints near the educational institution.
This incident marks the second mass school abduction in Kebbi state within four years. In June 2021, during former President Muhammadu Buhari's administration, bandits seized more than 100 students and staff members from a government college in the state.
US Lawmaker's Controversial Claim
On Tuesday, November 18, 2025, Representative Riley Moore posted on his verified X (formerly Twitter) account that the Maga attack occurred in a Christian enclave in northern Nigeria. His post gained significant traction, being viewed over one million times.
The Republican lawmaker, who has been vocal about Christian persecution in Nigeria, wrote: 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.
Moore had previously introduced a resolution in the US House of Representatives condemning what he described as ongoing persecution of Christians in Nigeria and supported designating Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern.
Local Sources Dispute Religious Enclave Claim
Legit.ng conducted thorough investigations by contacting multiple sources familiar with Maga community to verify Moore's Christian enclave assertion.
An aide to Kebbi State First Lady Hajiya Zainab Nasir Idris revealed that Maga territory is home to Muslims, Christians, and traditional religion practitioners. The source, who identifies as Christian, explained that religious diversity is common within families in the area, with all three major religious groups coexisting peacefully.
Another local resident, Hajiya Ibrahim Hassana, stated unequivocally that Muslims outnumber Christians in Maga community. She cautioned against rushing to religious conclusions about the attack, noting that the faith of the abducted girls remains unclear.
Hassana told Legit.ng: Out of these 25 children, we don't know which number is higher; is it Muslim or Christian among those that were abducted? And if you could look at news reports of the attack too, the vice principal who was killed is a Muslim. So, we should not bring anything sentiment about religion in any attack in Nigeria. These people (terrorists) attack everyone.
All three sources contacted during the investigation refuted Moore's characterization of Maga as a Christian enclave, instead describing it as religiously diverse with Muslim majority population.
Fact-Check Verdict
Legit.ng's investigation found no reliable evidence supporting Congressman Moore's claim that the Kebbi schoolgirls abduction took place in a Christian enclave. Persons familiar with Maga town confirmed the area's religious diversity, with Muslim residents forming the majority population alongside Christian and traditional religion practitioners.
The fact-checking exercise highlights the importance of verifying claims about Nigeria's complex religious and ethnic landscape before drawing conclusions, particularly when made by international figures whose statements could influence foreign policy perceptions.
