Did Kebbi Girls' Abduction Happen in a Christian Enclave as US Lawmaker Moore Claimed? Fact Emerges
- US congressman Riley Moore condemned the abduction of the schoolgirls from Government Secondary School, Maga, Kebbi state
- Moore said “the attack occurred in a Christian enclave in Northern Nigeria,” and urged the Nigerian government to do more to stem “rampant violence”
- Legit.ng's probe showed that there is no reliable evidence to say that the incident occurred in a Christian-majority area
Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over 5 years of experience in fact-checking.
Washington, USA - Suspected bandits on Monday, November 17, abducted at least 25 schoolgirls from Maga Comprehensive Girls’ Secondary School in Danko Wasagu local government area (LGA) of Kebbi state, in Nigeria's north-west geopolitical zone.
During the invasion, the terrorists also killed a teacher, Hassan Makuku, and a local guard, simply identified as Ali.
Source: Twitter
The assailants reportedly infiltrated the area through Zamfara forests and operated unhindered despite two military checkpoints near the school.
Legit.ng reports that Monday’s raid was the second mass school abduction in Kebbi in four years, following a June 2021 incident during the administration of now-late Muhammadu Buhari, when bandits seized more than 100 students and staff members from a government college.
Those students were released in batches over two years after parents paid ransoms. Some were allegedly married off forcefully.
On Tuesday morning, November 18, 2025, Riley Moore, a member of the United States (US) house of representatives, put up a post on X (formerly Twitter) where he claimed that the Maga attack “occurred in a Christian enclave in northern Nigeria.” His post has been viewed more than one million times.
Riley Moore is one of the prominent Western personalities alleging that Christians in Africa’s most populous nation, Nigeria, were killed in targeted attacks simply because of their faith.
Earlier in November, Moore introduced a resolution in America's house of representatives condemning the presumed ongoing persecution of Christians in Nigeria.
The Republican lawmaker supported President Donald Trump’s announcement to officially designate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern.
After the unfortunate Kebbi attack, he wrote on his verified page:
“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.
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“The Nigerian government must do more to end the rampant violence.”
Source: Twitter
Source: Twitter
Is Moore’s claim that the area in Maga, Danko Wasagu LGA, where the bandits launched the attack is ‘a Christian enclave’ correct? Legit.ng fact-checks it.
As official and explicit religious demographic data from a recent national census is not readily available in Nigeria, this reporter contacted three different Kebbi residents who are familiar with the area where the attack happened.
The first respondent, an aide to Hajiya Zainab Nasir Idris, the first lady of Kebbi, stated that Maga territory in Kebbi state is home to Muslims, Christians, and practitioners of traditional religions. The source, a Christian, noted that religious diversity is common within families in Maga town, where, according to her, the three major religious groups often coexist. She added that Muslims constitute the majority of Kebbi state’s population.
Another source, Hajiya Ibrahim Hassana, shared that in Maga community, “there are more Muslims than Christians.”
Cautioning against hasty judgments, Aisha explained that the faith of the 25 abducted girls is still unclear.
She told Legit.ng:
“Out of these 25 children, we don’t know which number is higher; is it Muslim or Christian among those that were abducted? And if you could look at news reports of the attack too, the vice principal who was killed is a Muslim. So, we should not bring anything sentiment (sic) about religion in any attack in Nigeria. These people (terrorists) attack everyone.”
The third source contacted, like the first, did not support Moore’s claim that Maga is ‘a Christian enclave.
Verdict on Moore's claim on Kebbi attack
Legit.ng’s findings found no reliable evidence to support Moore’s claim that the Kebbi schoolgirls’ abduction occurred in a Christian enclave.
Persons familiar with Maga town confirmed that the area is religiously diverse, with a top source disclosing that Muslims form the majority, adding that Christians and traditional religion practitioners are also present.
Source: Legit.ng
