As the world marks International Human Rights Day and the global campaign on the 2025 Sixteen Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence comes to a close, Media & Teens Network calls on the Federal Government of Nigeria to confront—decisively and transparently—the unending cycle of rights abuses, insecurity, and mass violations threatening the lives of citizens nationwide.
Nigeria is again gripped by trauma. As the nation struggled to comprehend the brazen abduction of over 50 students from Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga, Kebbi State—where the school’s Vice Principal was murdered—another 315 schoolchildren were seized from St. Mary’s Catholic School in Papri community, Niger State, on November 21.
The youngest abducted child is six years old.
Although 100 of the kidnapped Papri children were released this week, the fate of 165 others, including staff, remains unknown. Three parents have died from heart attacks following the ordeal. While about 50 children escaped earlier, hundreds remain unaccounted for—leaving families in unimaginable agony.
The question Nigerians are now asking is: When will the remaining 165 children come home?
Double Standards in National Security Response
Days ago, Nigeria’s military posture faced renewed scrutiny after credible reports indicated that the Nigerian Air Force conducted rapid precision airstrikes in Benin Republic to help foil an attempted coup—executing a tightly coordinated 30-minute mission that blocked escape routes and neutralized hostile elements.
If Nigeria can deploy missiles and high-speed tactical coordination to defend another nation’s democracy, why has this level of decisive force not been applied to rescue Nigerian children, halt bandit enclaves, or dismantle terror networks operating freely within our borders?
Millions of Nigerians are demanding answers.
Seven Women Shot Dead in Adamawa
On Monday, December 8, tragedy struck in Adamawa State when soldiers escorting the 23 Brigade Commander, allegedly opened fire on a group of peaceful women protesters in Lamurde.
Twelve women were shot; seven died instantly. Five are fighting for their lives at Numan General Hospital.
The women were reportedly protesting the late arrival of security officials, who they said appeared only after attackers—believed to be Chobo-speaking militia—had launched coordinated assaults on multiple communities and withdrawn unchallenged.
“The women were angry, frustrated, and tired of burying their own,” a community elder said. “They were demanding answers. Instead, what they got were bullets.”
Although the Nigerian Army has denied responsibility and blamed local militias, the killings of innocent women, children, and unarmed citizens have become tragically routine. This cannot continue.
The Nigerian government must rise above political considerations and fulfil its primary constitutional duty: to protect the lives and dignity of its citizens.
Silence, blame-shifting, and isolated reactions are no longer acceptable.
OUR DEMANDS
1. Immediate and coordinated national action to rescue the remaining abducted schoolchildren in Niger and Kebbi States.
2. Independent investigations into the killing of women protesters in Adamawa, with public release of findings.
3. Transparent review of military engagement protocols, including rules on crowd control and civilian protection.
4. Decisive domestic counterterrorism operations matching the speed and precision displayed in foreign interventions.
5. Enhanced protection of schools, women, and vulnerable communities, in line with Nigeria’s Safe Schools Declaration commitments.
6. A national accountability framework for security agencies implicated in human rights violations.
7. A renewed federal commitment to ending gender-based violence, mass abductions, and impunity nationwide.
Nigeria is at a breaking point. Citizens cannot continue to live—and die—under the shadow of unchecked violence, kidnappings, military excesses, and systemic failure.
#Enough is enough.
#BringBackOurKids
#SecureOurSchools
#SecureOurCommunities
Signed:
Lillian Okenwa
Executive Director
Media & Teens Network
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