The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), Kebbi State chapter, has condemned the recent wave of violence in the state, describing the killing of citizens in Makirin village and the abduction of 25 students from Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, as “barbaric, disturbing and inhumane.”
In a statement issued on Wednesday, 19 November 2025, signed by the chairman of Kebbi State chapter of MURIC, Dr. Abdullahi Bello Umar, expressed deep concern over two tragic incidents that occurred within 24 hours. Earlier on the same day, the Ameer of the Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria (MSSN), Yauri Area Council, Malam Alqasim Uthman Ibrahim, was kidnapped and later killed. Soon after, gunmen attacked the girls’ secondary school in Maga, abducting 25 female students.
MURIC also condemned the murder of the school’s vice principal, Mallam Hassan Makuku, and the assault on a security guard. The organisation expressed solidarity with the abducted students, their families and the affected community.
The group called on the Federal Government, Kebbi State Government and security agencies to intensify search-and-rescue operations and ensure that the Presidential directive to safely recover the girls is executed without delay.
According to MURIC, citizens must regain confidence in the government’s ability to protect lives and property.
Addressing public claims that the attack occurred in a “Christian enclave,” the organisation dismissed the assertion as false, insisting that the area is predominantly Muslim. It urged the public to refrain from politicising the tragedy or attaching ethnic or religious motives to the incident.
MURIC further advised government authorities to treat mass kidnappings as a major national security threat rather than a regional issue. It called for the arrest and prosecution of the perpetrators and their collaborators, stressing the need for stronger legislation to deter kidnapping and banditry.
The group urged the judiciary to ensure swift dispensation of justice and called on the executive arm to enforce judgments without fear or favour. It also encouraged the Kebbi State Government to improve security coordination with neighbouring states—particularly Zamfara and Niger—to block routes used by bandits. In addition, MURIC recommended enhanced collaboration with local hunter groups and the deployment of security personnel to vulnerable border communities and schools.
The organisation appealed to authorities and wealthy individuals to support the affected families through trauma counselling and educational assistance. It also urged Islamic clerics across the state to conduct al-qunut prayers for the safe return of the abducted girls, the repose of those killed and peace in the state.
MURIC reiterated that the Kebbi abduction is a national crisis requiring urgent, coordinated action from government, security agencies, civil society and community leaders.
“The safe return of these girls and the prevention of future attacks is not negotiable,” the statement added.
