'Even America Records Crime’ - Akpabio on Kebbi Schoolgirls Abduction, Killings

President of the Senate Godswill Akpabio has caught controversy following his remarks on insecurity in Nigeria, particularly the latest incident involving the kidnapping of 25 schoolgirls in Kebbi State.

In the early hours of Monday, November 17, 2025, bandits launched a deadly attack on the Government Girls Comprehensive Senior Secondary School (GGCSS) located in the Danko/Wasagu Local Government Area of the state.

The attackers, who reportedly operated without resistance, killed the school's Vice Principal, Malam Hassan Makuku, who was trying to shield the students and made away with 25 pupils.

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During the plenary on Tuesday, Akpabio stirred feelings after suggesting that kidnappings and other security issues should not provoke despair because crime is a universal phenomenon.

He said this while presiding over the heated debate on the killing of Brigadier-General Uba Musa in Borno State and the abduction of the schoolgirls, alongside the killing of a vice principal, in Kebbi State.

As senators prepared to harmonise their resolutions on the worsening security crisis, the former Akwa Ibom State Governor diverted attention to the scale of Nigeria and the attendant strain on its security agencies.

“We sympathise deeply with the families affected, but we must remember that Nigeria is a very large country,” he stated.

“It is not even possible to deploy one policeman to each polling unit during elections. Our security agencies are overstretched and find themselves in places they shouldn’t ordinarily be.”

Akpabio reaffirmed that crime was a global challenge that powerful nations were not exempt from.

“There is no society without crime. Even the almighty America records crime on a daily basis. But we must continue to do our best to minimise it,” he added.

The Senate President's remarks came at a time when many Nigerians are on edge over intensified killings and kidnappings across the country.

A day after the schoolchildren's adoption, bandits stormed a branch of Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) at Oke Isegun in the Eruku community, a boundary town with Kogi in the Ekiti LGA of Kwara state.

The armed men, whose actions were captured on a live stream, killed three worshippers and took the pastor and an unknown number of members away.

These incidents continued a long line of similar occurrences where innocent Nigerians had become vulnerable to attacks by bandits, terrorists and other organised criminal groups.

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This highlighted the current state of security in Nigeria, prompting many stakeholders to demand decisive action from the government.

Critics have said Akpabio's comments, which carry a dismissive undertone that seeks to normalise security threats, may offer little hope to captives and their families who look to the government for succour.