*Demands rescue of all in bandits den
Jam’iyyar Matan Arewa, an umbrella body of Northern Nigerian Women has called on the Federal Government to put every machinery in motion towards securing the release of abducted schoolgirls and all victims in captivity of insurgents and bandits.
This is just as the foremost women body with presence in 19 Northern States and beyond, frowned at resurgence of banditry, kidnapping and mass killing by terrorists which it said could roll back every gain made in the present democratic dispensation, if left unchecked.
Addressing a press conference in Kaduna Chairperson Board of Trustees (BOT), Jam’iyyar Matan Arewa Pamela Sadauki described the spate of terrorist attacks on several communities in the north where women, children and men had been abducted, describing the situation as alarming, frightening, worrisome and above all, capable of sliding Nigeria into the likes of Somalia, Libya and other war-torn countries if allowed to continue.
“Just days ago, armed bandits stormed the Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga, Kebbi State, abducting 25 innocent schoolgirls and killing a staff member in cold blood.
“Barely four days later, on the 21 November 2025, another devastating raid targeted St. Mary Catholic Primary and Secondary School in Niger State where over 300 students and a dozen teachers were forcibly taken from hostels.
“These are only the most prominent incidents in a relentless pattern that has also seen scores of travellers, farmers and villagers abducted or killed in states such as; Zamfara, Katsina, Sokoto, Kaduna, Plateau and Benue.
“The abduction of these young schoolgirls in Kebbi State is particularly worrisome because it reminds us of the Chibok girls’ tragedy more than a decade ago and underscores how vulnerable our children remain,” Sadauki stated.
While disapproving any foreign military intervention in the country, the group welcomed any intelligence-sharing and military collaboration with friendly external security players as long as it was done in terms and conditions spelt out by Nigeria.
Sadauki warned against giving the security situation a religious, ethnic or political coloration, saying the terrorists represent no ethnicity, nor faith.
While paying glowing tributes to members of armed forces, many of whom she said had paid the supreme price for keeping Nigerians safe, Sadauki urged governments at all levels to provide material and equipment support for the military to effectively combat insurgency and banditry.