Kebbi Governor says Manga not a Christian enclave as FG releases names of abducted schoolgirls

The Federal Government on Wednesday officially released the names of students abducted by terrorists in Manga, a community in Kebbi State.

Vice President Kashim Shettima on Wednesday arrived in Kebbi State to condole with the state government and families of the abducted schoolchildren.

BusinessDay gathered that Shettima, who was received at the Government House by Governor Nasir Idris, immediately went into a closed-door meeting with the governor.

Read also: Bandits kidnap 25 female students in Kebbi school

Ahmed Idris, Chief Press Secretary to the Kebbi State governor, said in a statement that the state government has dismissed as false and misleading a claim by Rep. Riley M. Moore, a member of the United States Congress, that the tragic incident that occurred on Monday at Government Girls’ Comprehensive Senior Secondary School, Maga, in Danko/Wasagu Local Government Area of Kebbi State happened in a “Christian enclave”.

The state described the claim, echoed in some national online media on Tuesday, November 18, 2025, as “entirely untrue and a clear misrepresentation of facts. Maga is a community predominantly dominated by Muslims, and the majority of the abducted students are Muslims, which is contrary to the claim made by the American lawmaker.”

According to the statement, the lawmaker’s reaction suggested the community was targeted due to its vulnerability following repeated acts of violence in recent years. This, the state government stressed, is factually incorrect. Banditry in Northwestern Nigeria has overwhelmingly affected Muslim communities, and criminal groups do not discriminate based on religion.

The statement said “On different occasion, these bandits attacked and kill Muslims in their places of worship, more than the Christians.

“A recent example is the attack on Muslim worshippers in a village near Malumfashi in Katsina State, where several people were killed inside a mosque during prayers.

“If these bandits were driven by religious motives, why then do they attack and kill Muslim while praying in mosque?”

Ita stated further that it was pertinent to note that the American lawmaker has either been misinformed or has chosen to ignore the realities on the ground.

“The Kebbi State Government wishes to make it clear to the global community that terrorist in Nigeria target victims indiscriminately irrespective of religion or political affiliation. They attack people in their homes, schools, places of worship and sometimes block roads kill or abduct people on transit.

“For over a decade, the predominantly Muslim states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa have endured sustained attacks, killings and displacement caused by the Boko Haram insurgency. The same case in Northwestern states of Kaduna, Katsina, Zamfara, Sokoto and Kebbi all with large population of Muslims with few population of Christians have suffered more casualties from banditry than any other region.

Read also: Tinubu mourns Musa Uba, other fallen soldiers, vows safe return of kidnapped Kebbi schoolgirls

“We therefore urge the lawmaker Rep. Moore and others making similar claims to kindly verify any information and report from Nigeria properly before making public statements that may further distort facts or fuel misunderstanding.”

The state government also officially released names of 24, as against 25, earlier announced.
They include;
SSS 3A and B

1. Salima Garba Umar Senchi
2. Salima Sani Zirmi
3. Amina G. Umar
4. Rashida Mohammed Dungu
5. Saliha Umar
6. Aisha Usman
7. Jamila Ilyasu
8. Maryam Ilyasu
9. Naja-atu Abdullahi
10. Zaniab Kolo

SSS 2A

11. Faitma Sani Zimri
12. Hafsat Ibrahim
13. Nana Fiddausi Jibrin
14. Mas’uda Yakubu Tomo

SSS 2B

15. Hauwa’u Saleh

JSS 3A

16. Surayya Tukur
17. Hafsat Umar Yalmo
18. Mary Usman
19. Amina Ilyasu
20. Ikilima Suleiman

JSS 2

21. Khadija Nazifi
22. Hauwa’u Ilyasu
23. Hauwa’u Lawali
24. Ummulkursim Abdul-Karim