Non-protection Of Girls Unacceptable — Women Group

The Women’s Rights Advancement and Protective Alternatives (WRAPA) has frowned on  the inability of the government to protect the girl child, especially those in schools.

A statement issued by WRAPA’s senior programme officer, Ahmed Habiba, raised fresh concerns over the safety of schoolgirls across the country following the recent abduction of students in Kebbi State.

“Only weeks after the International Day of the Girl Child, the attack has again drawn attention to the worsening pattern of gender-targeted school kidnappings, which has continued unchecked since the 2014 Chibok incident.

“Over 1,400 school children, the majority of them girls, have been abducted in similar attacks across several states, including Yobe, Zamfara, Kebbi, Kaduna, Niger and Taraba,” the statement said.

The group said the latest abduction shows that Nigeria has not addressed the structural issues driving school insecurity.

“We may not know what will happen tomorrow, but we know what is happening today, and today, the girl-child remains unprotected, unheard and unsafe,” she said.

She noted that the attacks are not random but reflect a gendered trend in the country’s insecurity landscape. “Armed groups understand the cultural and emotional weight attached to girls. Targeting them generates fear, cripples education systems and destabilises communities,” she added.

Ahmed explained that the vulnerability of the girl-child begins long before any attack occurs. “Poverty restricts her access to safe schooling, harmful norms push her toward early marriage, and many schools lack basic security infrastructure. When insecurity is added to this reality, her chances of learning or contributing meaningfully to society disappear,” she said.

Although government officials routinely condemn these incidents and announce the deployment of security operatives after each attack, stakeholders say these measures have failed to address long-standing gaps. Many schools in high-risk communities continue to operate without perimeter fencing, adequate lighting, trained security personnel, or functioning early warning systems.

“Policies exist, but implementation remains inconsistent and often superficial,” Ahmed stated.

The repeated abductions have placed additional pressure on families forced to choose between educating their daughters and ensuring their safety. Community leaders in several northern states report that more parents are withdrawing girls from school out of fear.

Child-rights advocates are calling for a shift from reactive to structural measures, including strengthened school protection systems, community-led safety networks and trauma support for survivors.

Ahmed stressed that securing the girl-child is a constitutional obligation, not a symbolic gesture. “Nigeria is not short of evidence, only short of will,” she said. “If the country truly values its daughters, it must demonstrate this through policy, protection and accountability — not repeated statements after each attack.”

She warned that continued neglect could have grave national implications. “When the foundation is rotten, nothing built on it will stand,” she said. “If Nigeria ignores the safety of its girls, the consequences will extend far beyond the victims. The nation itself will bear the cost.”