The African Women Lawyers Association (AWLA) International Conference 2025, currently underway at the Azalai Hotel de la Plage in Cotonou (18‑22 November 2025) , has issued a urgent appeal for the immediate and unconditional release of the 25 girls abducted from Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga, Kebbi State, Nigeria.

The kidnapping, which occurred in the early hours of Monday, 17 November, saw gunmen storm the boarding school, kill a staff member and seize the students . 

In a statement released today, the AWLA Conference said the abduction “must not become a bargaining chip in any political rivalry” and demanded that the Nigerian government and the international community act swiftly to secure the safe return of the girls.

“We stand together with the families of these innocent children and call on all stakeholders to intervene without delay. The freedom of our girls is non‑negotiable,” the statement reads, signed *AWLA Conference, 2025*.

The conference, themed _“From Margins to Mainstream: The African Woman in Unfettered Sustainable Development”_, reaffirms its commitment to protecting the rights and dignity of women and girls across the continent.

Participants are urged to join the global chorus demanding the girls’ safe return and to support efforts that strengthen security and justice in Nigeria’s northwest region.