The other day, over 280 pupils and teachers of Government Secondary School and LEA primary school at Kuriga, Kaduna State were abducted by bandits. This horror triggered a national outrage.
However, the outrage was only momentary, as the country has already moved on as if nothing happened. How can we continue as if nothing happened when 280 innocent children are held by terrorists? It’s as if we have normalized the absurd!
The accursed bandits/terrorists invaded the Kuriga area of the Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State on Thursday last week. After a shooting spree, they reportedly took away at least 280 pupils and teachers from two schools in the area.
As I write, the abductors have disappeared into thin air with 280 innocent children and their teachers! That is to say that 280 families are in agony! Our security agents have yet no clue on their whereabouts. This is in spite of the fact that it is well nigh impossible to disappear 280 people!
School Children Raids and Abductions
According to Save The Children, more than 1,680 schoolchildren have been kidnapped in Nigeria since the 2014 abduction of 276 schoolgirls from Chibok in Borno State. Clearly, fear of bandit attack is stopping many children from ever attending school.
In April 2014, that abduction from a school in Chibok made global headlines and sparked the #BringBackOurGirls movement and protests, which attracted public support from celebrities and public figures including Malala Yousafzai, Hillary Clinton, and then First Lady Michelle Obama.
The recent Kuriga abduction was barely noticed by the world, because Nigeria has become the poster face of school abductions. The world no longer cares because many wonder why Nigeria and its authorities let such serial kidnappings take place at all.
Data analysis by Save the Children Foundation reveals that attacks on schools have been continuing behind the public glare. This surge highlights the violence that schoolchildren and teachers face across Nigeria. In addition to the abductions, over 180 schoolchildren were killed and nearly 90 injured in 70 attacks between April 2014 and December 2022, with an estimated 60 school staff kidnapped and 14 killed.
Twenty-five school buildings were reportedly destroyed during that period. These attacks have long-lasting consequences for communities and for children’s access to education, often leading to the mass withdrawal of children from school leading also to school closures. In Katsina State, in the North-western part of the country, nearly 100 schools remain closed due to insecurity. This closure has denied more than 30,000 children access to education.
In the aftermath of attacks, children and communities are left traumatised, and the majority do not receive any form of psychological support. In 2015, Nigeria endorsed the Safe Schools Declaration, which seeks to ensure the continuity of safe education during armed conflict. The Declaration outlines a nation’s commitments to strengthen the protection of education from attack. However, it remains largely unimplemented at the state and community levels while rural community schools remain vulnerable to attacks.
With the dust over the Kaduna abduction yet to settle, another set of bandits reportedly kidnapped no fewer than 15 Tsangaya students at Gidan Bakuso area of Gada local government area in Sokoto State.
Since the Chibok girls’ abduction, which any serious nation would have made the first and last of such an incident, Nigerian authorities have watched helplessly as abduction of school children continues to happen far too frequently.
The Government Girls Science and Technical College, Dapchi, in Yobe State; the Kagara school abduction of 400 students in Niger State; the abduction of more than 300 students of Government Secondary School, Kankara in Katsina State. Indeed, the list goes on and on. Even though mass school children’s abductions are more pronounced in the North of the country, the South is not immune from it. In January, six schoolchildren, three teachers and a bus driver were kidnapped in Emure Ekiti, in Ekiti State.
The bandits are not only abducting primary and secondary school students, they also go after university students. In September, 2023, more than 24 students of the Federal University of Gusau were abducted after bandits invaded the Sabon-Gida community of the Bungudu Local Government Area of Zamfara State. Six months after about 12 of these students are still with the bandits in the bush, abandoned by their government that has the constitutional responsibility to protect them and guarantee their right to acquire education.
A cursory look at the available data shows that the trend is extremely troubling. Already, Nigeria is the world leader in out of school children! One in every five of the world’s out of school children is in Nigeria. Even though primary education is officially free and compulsory, about 10.5 million of the country’s children aged 5-14 years are not in school. Only 61 percent of 6-11 year-olds regularly attend primary school and only 35.6 percent of children aged 36-59 months receive early childhood education. In the north of the country, the picture is even bleaker, with a net attendance rate of 53 percent. Getting out-of-school children back into education poses a massive challenge which has been exacerbated by the mass abduction of school children in the region.
School Abductions Are A Huge Threat To Education As A Whole!
The mass abductions of school children, particularly in the North, have profound implications for the broader educational landscape. These incidents instill fear and insecurity, dissuading parents from sending their children, especially girls, to school. The psychological trauma inflicted by such events lingers, eroding the trust in the safety of educational institutions. As a result, families are compelled to keep their children out of school, perpetuating the cycle of illiteracy and hampering the nation’s progress in achieving universal education.
The recurring abductions disrupt the educational progress of affected states in the North, creating an environment where fear prevails over the pursuit of knowledge. Schools become not only educational institutions but also potential targets, deterring both students and teachers. The resultant disruption in the academic calendar and educational infrastructure impedes the overall goal of reducing the number of out-of-school children.
Impact On Girl Child Education
Girls, in particular, face heightened challenges in pursuing education in the aftermath of abductions. Deeply rooted cultural norms and gender biases often amplify the barriers to girls’ education. The fear of abduction adds an additional layer of vulnerability, leading families to prioritize the safety of their daughters over their educational aspirations. Consequently, the gender gap in education widens, hindering the realization of the full potential of half the population.
The perpetuation of a large population of out-of-school children, exacerbated by abductions, has severe economic and social consequences. Education is a cornerstone for individual empowerment and societal progress. The lack of education perpetuates poverty, limits economic opportunities, and hinders the development of critical skills needed for a competitive workforce. Addressing these challenges requires a multifaceted approach that prioritizes education and ensures the security of learning environments.
The abductions underscore the urgent need to prioritize and encourage girl child education as a strategic imperative for national development. Investing in the education of girls yields a cascade of positive outcomes, including improved health, reduced poverty, and enhanced community well-being. Empowered girls become agents of change, contributing to the socioeconomic fabric of their communities and the nation at large.
Abductions/Out-of-School Challenge
Given the huge size of Nigeria and the fact that Nigeria’s current police strength is just over 370,000 officers which is insufficient based on a ratio of one police officer to about 600 citizens. The UN-recommended ratio is one police officer to almost 450 citizens. The authorities should employ technology like drones to protect schools in both governed and ungoverned areas of our country. The communities where the schools are located should also do their own part to secure the schools of their children by developing local security strategies.
The implications of school children’s abduction in Northern Nigeria are far-reaching, affecting not only the immediate victims but also the broader educational landscape and the nation’s socio-economic future.
MAY NIGERIA REBOUND
