The call followed Monday’s assault on a Government Girls School in the Maga community of Danko-Wasagu Local Government Area, where gunmen killed the vice-principal and abducted the students, prompting renewed concern over persistent attacks on schools in the Northwest.

In a statement issued by the Communication Specialist for UNICEF Nigeria, Sussan Akila, the agency condemned the incident.

Akila said: “UNICEF strongly condemns the reported attack on a Government Girls School in the Maga community of Kebbi State, which resulted in the death of the school’s Vice-Principal and the abduction of 25 students.

“This tragic incident is yet another stark reminder of the urgent need to protect children, schools, and the personnel they rely upon to learn safely.”

Expressing sympathy, Akila noted, “We stand with the affected community at this difficult time; our heartfelt condolences go to those who have lost their loved ones, and we wish a full recovery for those injured.”

On the abduction, she said, “UNICEF further urges the swift release of the abducted children.”

Akila also stressed the obligation to safeguard learning spaces.

“Students, education facilities, and their personnel should be protected under international law from any form of attack, and those responsible must be held to account in accordance with national and international standards,” she said.

Referencing Nigeria’s 2015 commitment, she stated, “In 2015, the Nigerian government endorsed the Safe Schools Declaration, which outlines concrete steps to safeguard the civilian nature of schools and universities to ensure safe access of students to education during conflict.”

She urged full implementation.

Akila said UNICEF was working with authorities and communities to improve child safety and promote secure learning environments.

“These systems and environments must be reinforced to prevent future tragedies.

“No child should be put at risk while pursuing an education,” the statement added.

The Safe Schools Declaration is an inter-governmental political commitment to protect students, teachers, schools, and universities from the worst effects of armed conflict.

It has been endorsed by 121 States, PUNCH Online confirms from the SSD website on Tuesday, with Nigeria endorsing it in May 2015.

In April 2021, the House of Representatives resolved to investigate the alleged abandonment of Federal Government’s Safe School Initiative, especially the N500m allocated to the rehabilitation of the Government Secondary School Chibok, Borno State, where Boko Haram abducted over 200 schoolgirls.

Months later in October, President of the Senate then, Ahmad Lawan, said that the Safe School Initiative of the Federal Government was designed to fail.

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The United States Ambassador to the United Nations, Michael Waltz, and American musician, Nicki Minaj, on Tuesday evening highlighted Nigeria’s ongoing security challenges during a UN event focused on global religious freedom.

The event was titled “Combatting Religious Violence and the Killing of Christians in Nigeria.”

Both Waltz and Minaj drew attention to attacks targeting Christian communities and linked them to broader concerns about religious liberty.

In his remarks, Waltz described the killings in Nigeria as “genocide wearing the mask of chaos.”

He said, “In the Middle Belt and in the North, churches burn, mothers bury their children for the crime of singing Amazing Grace; pastors have been beheaded for preaching the sermon on the mount. Entire villages wake up to gunfire because they dare to commit the crime, the crime of calling Jesus their Lord. People go to jail under blasphemy laws for simply wearing a cross.

“This is not random violence. This is genocide wearing the mask of chaos.”

He also cited recent kidnappings as part of the pattern of insecurity.

“It just happened yesterday; 25 little girls were ripped out of their school.”

He referenced international reporting on religious violence, noting that Nigeria accounts for a significant share of global attacks on Christians.

A Non-Governmental Organisation Open Doors, he said, “reports 80 per cent of the violence against Christians worldwide is occurring in Nigeria.”

The ambassador commended President Donald Trump’s recent condemnation of the killings in Nigeria.

“Yet in the face of this evil, one leader has refused to look away. President Trump has made the persecuted church his priority like no other president before him in American history.

“He was the first US president to convene world leaders right here at the United Nations in 2019 to draw attention, draw the world’s attention to what is happening. He created the Religious Liberty Commission to fight for believers everywhere.

“And while Nigeria’s Christians cried out, he answered, and he has answered loudly. He has reminded the world that protecting Christians is not about politics. It is a moral duty,” Waltz said.

He described Trump’s intervention as an inspiration, saying, “We need voices that pierce the silence that we’ve heard from the international community, that humanises these statistics that we keep hearing, and that demands accountability.”

Minaj, speaking at the same briefing, framed the Nigerian crisis as part of a global issue affecting freedom of belief.

She said, “In Nigeria, Christians are being targeted, driven from their homes, and killed. Churches have been burned, families have been torn apart, and entire communities live in fear constantly, simply because of how they pray.”

She stressed that similar challenges exist elsewhere, noting, “Sadly, this problem is not only a growing problem in Nigeria, but also in so many other countries across the world, and it demands urgent action.”

The American musician thanked Trump “for prioritising this issue and for his leadership on the global stage in calling for urgent action to defend Christians in Nigeria, to combat extremism, and to bring a stop to violence against those who simply want to exercise their natural right to freedom of religion or belief.”

She expressed the hope that Tuesday’s would “encourage deepened solidarity for us to urgently work together to ensure every person can enjoy the right to believe, to worship, and to live in peace.”

The event comes after Trump said there was an ongoing “Christian genocide” in Nigeria and announced that the country would be designated a “Country of Particular Concern.”

The Federal Government has strongly denied allegations of religiously motivated violence, maintaining that insecurity in the country stems from criminal activities unrelated to faith. Despite Nigeria’s position, US officials have continued to voice concerns.

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The House of Representatives on Tuesday launched an investigation into the establishment, funding, and governance structure of the Museum of West African Art in Benin City, Edo State.

The move followed growing concerns that the new cultural complex may be operating under arrangements that grant undue influence to foreign and private interests.

A recent exhibition at the museum turned chaotic and was abruptly cancelled after an invasion by protesters, with the police moving in to rescue foreign envoys in attendance.

The probe comes at a critical time as Nigeria receives historic batches of repatriated Benin Bronzes from international museums, intensifying scrutiny over the permanent repository for these priceless artifacts.

The House ordered the probe after adopting a motion of urgent national importance sponsored by Esosa Iyawe and co-sponsored by six other Edo lawmakers, including Julius Ihonvbere, Peter Akpatason, Billy Osawaru, Omosede Igbinedion, Marcus Onobun, and Okojie Odianosen.

Leading the debate, Iyawe warned that a project envisioned as a premier West African cultural heritage hub must not become a “backdoor for foreign entities to influence or control Nigeria’s cultural property.”

Iyawe stated: “Credible reports suggest that the ownership and governance framework of MOWAA may have created an arrangement that places excessive influence in the hands of private or foreign interests. This would be contrary to Nigeria’s sovereignty over her cultural patrimony.”

He stressed that the international community agreed to repatriate the Benin Bronzes with the understanding that these items would be held in a public trust under Nigerian control.

Lawmakers raised additional concerns regarding the museum’s legal status, donor agreements, tax waivers, and land allocations.

The motion’s so-sponsor, Julius Ihonvbere, emphasised the need for transparency.

“We cannot allow any ambiguity around ownership, land allocation, tax waivers, or foreign partnerships. Nigeria’s cultural assets cannot be traded off under the guise of development support,” Ihonvbere warned.

Similarly, Omosede Igbinedion faulted the alleged sidelining of traditional institutions, including the Palace of the Oba of Benin.

She noted, “The custodians of the Benin heritage deserve full transparency and involvement. Their exclusion raises legitimate concerns.”

Also, Marcus Onobun warned that unclear funding sources and governance structures could pave the way for conflict of interest and potential exploitation of the nation’s heritage.

Adopting the motion, the House resolved to set up an ad hoc committee to investigate MOWAA’s establishment, funding model, donor influence, and governance architecture.

The panel is mandated to determine the degree of government oversight and the safeguards protecting Nigeria’s ownership of its cultural assets and is expected to report back within four weeks.

The Speaker Abbas Tajudeen assured the House would defend the country’s heritage.

“Our heritage is non-negotiable. This investigation is necessary to ensure transparency and national interest.”

The investigation coincides with renewed momentum in Nigeria’s restitution campaign.

Just a day earlier, the Ministry of Arts, Culture and Creative Economy received two Benin Bronzes—a bronze relief plaque and a commemorative head—returned from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

The pieces, stolen during the 1897 British invasion of Benin, were symbolically handed over by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and witnessed by high chiefs representing the Oba of Benin. Nigeria has received no fewer than 285 Benin Bronzes in the past eight years, including large batches from the United States, the Netherlands, and the UK’s Horniman Museum.