The Chairman of Danko-Wasagu Local Government Area, Hussaini Aliyu, has dismissed a claim by US lawmaker Riley Moore that the abduction of schoolgirls in Maga occurred in a Christian community.
Aliyu said all 25 abducted students are Muslims and urged the congressman to refrain from making “unverifiable and inflammatory statements” capable of sowing religious or ethnic division at a time when government efforts are focused on rescuing the children.
He stressed that the Zuru Emirate, under which Maga falls, has never experienced a religious crisis and questioned why the US lawmaker chose to mischaracterise the incident in a manner that portrays Nigeria negatively.
The chairman also released the names of the abducted schoolgirls as follows:
Senior Secondary School 2A
- Fatima Sani Zimri
- Hafsat Ibrahim
- Nana Firdausi Jibril
- Masauda Yakubu Romo
Senior Secondary School 2B
- Hauwa Saleh
- Hauwau Umar Imam
Senior Secondary School 3A & 3B
- Salima Garba Umar
- Salima Sani Zimri
- Amina G. Umar
- Rashida Muhammad Dingu
- Saliha Umar
- Aisha Usman
- Jamila Iliyasu
- Maryam Illiyasu
- Najaatu Abdullahi
- Zainab Kolo
Junior Secondary School 3A
- Surraya Tukur
- Hafsat Umar Yalmo
- Maryam Usman
- Amina Illiyasu
- Ikilima Suleman
Junior Secondary School 2
- Khadija Nazifi
- Hauwa’u Iliyasu
- Hauwa’u Lawali
- Ummu Kulsum Abdulkarim
Riley Moore, in a post on X urging prayers for the victims, had claimed the attack took place in a “Christian enclave” in northern Nigeria, although he admitted he did not have full details of the incident.
“Please join me in praying for the 25 girls… 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,” he wrote on Tuesday.
The attack on Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, occurred early Monday, leading to the killing of the Vice Principal, Malam Hassan Makuku, reportedly while he attempted to shield the students from the bandits. The police confirmed that 25 students were abducted and said a combined tactical team has been deployed to comb surrounding forests in search of the girls.
President Bola Tinubu has condemned the attack and commiserated with affected families. Over the incident and a separate attack on worshippers in Kwara State, he postponed his planned trips to South Africa for the G20 Summit and to Angola for the AU-EU Summit. He also directed Vice President Kashim Shettima to visit Kebbi State on Wednesday to meet with victims and local authorities.
