23 November 2025 – Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General of the World Trade Organization and Nigeria’s former Finance Minister, has spoken out emotionally about the continuing plague of kidnappings targeting schoolchildren and teachers across the country.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Saturday, the prominent Nigerian economist and two-time cabinet minister described herself as “a mother” deeply affected by the abductions from places of learning.
“As a mother I am greatly saddened by the kidnappings in our country particularly of our children and teachers from places of learning,” Dr Okonjo-Iweala wrote. “My heart goes out to the children and all those kidnapped and to their families living in fear and uncertainty.”
She added: “May those taken be found, rescued and returned safely into the arms of those who love them. We pray God for their protection and strength for every parent and relatives waiting.”
Her remarks come amid a renewed surge in mass abductions by criminal gangs and jihadist groups in northern and central Nigeria. In recent months, hundreds of pupils and staff have been seized from schools in states including Kaduna, Zamfara, and Niger, with many families forced to pay substantial ransoms for their release.
Dr Okonjo-Iweala, who served as Nigeria’s Finance Minister under Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan, is widely respected both at home and abroad. Although she now heads the Geneva-based WTO, she has frequently used her platform to highlight social and security challenges facing her home country.
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