A United States lawmaker, Riley Moore, has condemned the abduction of schoolgirls from Government Secondary School, Maga, in Danko-Wasagu Local Government Area of Kebbi State, calling for prayers and urging Nigerian authorities to act decisively.
In a post shared on X on Tuesday, Moore expressed sympathy for the victims and the school community.
“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,” he wrote.
While commenting further, the US legislator said the attack took place “in a Christian enclave in Northern Nigeria,” adding that “the Nigerian government must do more to end the rampant violence.”
His description, however, sparked swift backlash online.
A former Senior Special Assistant on New Media to the late President Muhammadu Buhari, Bashir Ahmad, publicly corrected Moore’s claim in the comment section.
“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.
He added that both the community and the abducted students are Muslim.
“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 said.
The attack occurred in the early hours of Monday when heavily armed bandits stormed the school, killing the vice principal, injuring staff members and abducting 25 students.
Meanwhile, the Federal Government has pledged to ensure the safe return of the abducted girls, expressing deep concern and assuring families that it “shares in the pain of the victims” as efforts intensify to bring them home safely.
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