RENEWED WAVE OF STUDENTS’ ABDUCTIONS
Government must do more to safeguard schools
In the aftermath of the rising national security threats, the federal government and some northern states have ordered a shutdown of many schools. The renewed violence also prompted President Bola Tinubu to cancel trips to the G20 meeting in South Africa, and African Union-European Union summit in Angola. He thereafter directed the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, to immediately relocate to Kebbi State and coordinate efforts to rescue the 24 schoolgirls who were abducted from Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga. Four days later, gunmen attacked St Mary’s School in the Papiri community, Niger State, and abducted 303 students and 12 teachers. In addition, at a period the federal government is trying to dispute the American claim of persecution of Christians in Nigeria, a church was also attacked further south in Eruku, Kwara State, with two people killed and 38 worshippers abducted while on a thanksgiving service.
Although the abducted worshippers of the Kwara church, and the 24 Kebbi schoolgirls have been released, Nigeria is facing a renewed wave of violent attacks on schools and rural communities, creating fear and anxiety among parents, students, teachers and the entire populace. It is particularly noteworthy that the abductions at the Niger State Catholic school surpassed that of Chibok in Borno State where 276 schoolgirls were seized in 2014, prompting an international outrage. More than a decade after, the whereabouts of close to 100 of those students are still unknown. Thankfully, 51 of the abducted Papiri schoolgirls escaped from their captors.
However, the sheer weight of insecurity has made many parents in the north reluctant to send their wards to school in a region already plagued with millions of out-of-school children. Over the years, repeated attacks on schools by Boko Haram and other terror affiliates have claimed the lives of thousands of teachers while many others were displaced, impacting students’ enrolment and attendance. Indeed, Amnesty International Nigeria has warned on the consequences of the ongoing wave of kidnappings in schools. “The trauma that comes with being abducted, or with the fear of being abducted, is going to prevent thousands of children from getting an education completely,” according to Country Director, Isa Sanusi who added that the psychological impact would be felt more in the North.
Meanwhile, between Chibok and now, more than 2000 students have been abducted, and some of them were released only after hefty ransoms were paid. Many have also died in the process. For instance, some 110 schoolgirls were abducted in Dapchi, Yobe State in 2018 while 300 schoolboys were seized in Kankara by gunmen on motorbikes two years later in 2020. While all the boys were reportedly freed, five of the Dapchi girls did not make it back alive. In the latter controversial deal for freedom brokered by the last administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, a Christian girl (Leah Sharibu) was left behind reportedly on account of her faith. She is still in captivity.
The spate of abductions has prompted many to look out for ways to safeguard students and teachers from such threats. The Safe School Initiative launched in 2014 after the Chibok kidnap was meant to counter the growing attacks on the right to education and to build community security groups to promote safe zones for education, consisting of teachers, parents, police and community leaders. The Initiative has developed several measures to rebuild schools and provide improved security for schools, particularly in the north. But the challenges are overwhelming.
All indicators still suggest the threat of violence is not about to flag as many schools like Maga and Papiri are easy targets. But if the only solution is to order their closure, the insurgents whose ideology frowns at Western education would have won. The federal government and authorities in the 36 states must do more to safeguard schools in Nigeria.
