US senator Riley Moore has condemned the kidnapping of schoolgirls from Government Secondary School, Maga, in Kebbi State’s Danko-Wasagu Local Government Area.
Moore condemned the tragedy in a post on X on Tuesday, calling 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,” his letter stated.
Moore continued, “While we don’t have all the details on this horrific attack, we know that it occurred in a Christian enclave in Northern Nigeria.”
He also encouraged authorities to take decisive action, stating, “The Nigerian government must do more to end the rampant violence.”
The attack took place in the early hours of Monday, when highly armed bandits invaded the school, killing the vice principal, wounding staff members, and abducting 25 students.
Moore’s description, however, elicited a significant backlash.
Bashir Ahmad, a former senior special assistant on new media for the late President Muhammadu Buhari, refuted the lawmaker’s assertion in the comment area.
“While appreciating your concern and praying for our sisters, it is important to correct a crucial detail here—the attack did not occur in a Christian enclave,” Ahmad wrote.
“It happened within a Muslim community, and the victims themselves were Muslims. This is precisely why we keep saying that even you, Americans, either do not understand the complexity of Nigeria’s insecurity challenges, or you are deliberately pushing unholy narratives that risk worsening our already fragile unity,” he added.
The meeting comes amid fresh arguments between Nigerian and US officials about allegations of “Christian genocide” in sections of the country, which Nigerian officials have persistently denied.
Meanwhile, the Federal Government has committed to ensuring the safe return of the abducted students, expressing profound concern and stating that it “shares in the pain of the victims” while striving to bring the girls home safely.
