The Chairman of Danko-Wasagu Local Government Area of Kebbi State, Hussaini Aliyu, has dismissed a claim by United States lawmaker, Riley Moore, suggesting that the recently abducted Maga schoolgirls were taken from a Christian community.
Aliyu described the allegation as false, misleading, and capable of sowing unnecessary religious tension at a time when security agencies are concentrating on rescuing the abducted students.
He said categorically that all the girls taken from Government Girls Secondary School, Maga, are Muslims.
The LG chairman urged the American lawmaker to refrain from making “unverifiable statements” that could inflame religious or ethnic division in Nigeria.
Aliyu stressed that the focus should remain on securing the students’ safe return, not on promoting narratives that distort the facts.
He further noted that the Zuru Emirate, under which the Maga community falls, has never experienced religious crises or sectarian conflict.
According to him, the attempt to frame the abduction along religious lines is not only inaccurate but also paints Nigeria in an unfairly negative light.
The chairman released the names of the abducted girls as follows:
Senior Secondary School 2A
1. Fatima Sani Zimri
2. Hafsat Ibrahim
3. Nana Firdausi Jibril
4. Masauda Yakubu Romo
Senior Secondary School 2B
5. Hauwa Saleh
6. Hauwau Umar Imam
Senior Secondary School 3A & 3B
7. Salima Garba Umar
8. Salima Sani Zimri
9. Amina G. Umar
10. Rashida Muhammad Dingu
11. Saliha Umar
12. Aisha Usman
13. Jamila Iliyasu
14. Maryam Illiyasu
15. Najaatu Abdullahi
16. Zainab Kolo
Junior Secondary School 3A
17. Surraya Tukur
18. Hafsat Umar Yalmo
19. Maryam Usman
20. Amina Illiyasu
21. Ikilima Suleman
Junior Secondary School 2
22. Khadija Nazifi
23. Hauwa’u Iliyasu
24. Hauwa’u Lawali
25. Ummu Kulsum Abdulkarim
Riley, in a post on 𝕏, claimed to have knowledge that the attack occurred in a Christian enclave in Northern Nigeria, but said he did not have details on the incident.
“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.
“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 stated on Tuesday.
