In the early hours of April 14, 2014, a group of Boko Haram insurgents attacked the Government Girls’ Secondary School in Chibok, Borno State, and kidnapped 276 teenage girls. That singular onslaught set off a chain of events whose ripples are still being felt nine years later. How the impressment was executed indicated that Nigeria was unprepared to rein it in.
The ravishing provided a much-needed spark for civic mobilisation, and the #BringBackOurGirls Campaign led by former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili, would become one of the most iconic and enduring protests in Nigerian history. At least, the campaign was somehow successful. The government of former President Goodluck Jonathan awoke from its stupor and many abducted girls were released under President Muhammadu Buhari in exchange for ransom.
Regrettably, 98 of the missing Chibok girls are still being held captive by the sect nine years after their kidnap. Since then, the country’s security situation has taken a turn for the worse, even as mass abductions have become routine. For instance, in February, 2018, 110 schoolgirls were kidnapped when Boko Haram bandits stormed the Government Girls Science Technical College in Dapchi, Yobe State. Among them was Leah Sharibu, who is still being held because she refused to convert to Islam. Bandits across various schools have captured more than 1,000 students in the North.
In a statement in Abuja on the remembrance day of the Chibok incident last Friday, the Acting Director, Amnesty International, Nigeria, Isa Sanusi, said the Nigerian authorities had not carried out a single credible investigation into the security failures that left children vulnerable to the atrocities committed by Boko Haram and gunmen. Sanusi said, “Parents of the 98 Chibok schoolgirls who are still being held by Boko Haram — as well as other children abducted by gunmen — are living in anguish, knowing that their children are in the hands of ruthless individuals who subject their loved ones to chilling brutalities.
“It is beyond time that the Nigerian authorities took meaningful action to counter armed groups like Boko Haram and gunmen. Nigeria must implement safeguards to protect all children, and the lack of accountability for these callous crimes is fuelling impunity. The missing Chibok schoolgirls should be returned home to their families, and all those responsible for committing grave violations must face justice.”
Sanusi was right. This is the time for the fainéant Nigerian authorities to take meaningful action against armed groups like Boko Haram and the gunmen. This country must implement safeguards to protect all children, and the lack of accountability for these heartless crimes is fuelling impunity. The Federal Government should do everything possible to return the missing Chibok schoolgirls to their families, and all those who committed serious violations must be brought to justice.
Shamefully, between December, 2020 and March 2021, at least five kidnappings were reported in Northern Nigeria, including from schools in Kankara, Kagara, Jangebe, Damishi Kaduna, Tegina, and Yawuri, while threats of further attacks have compelled closures of over 600 schools in the northern part of the country.
No one has been arrested or prosecuted for the abductions of schoolchildren from Chibok and other locations. The lack of justice and accountability has led to an escalation of attacks on schools, forced school closures, and left parents in despair. Authorities must provide adequate security for schools to ensure that children and teachers are safe.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) estimates that about 10.5 million children between the ages of 5 and 14 are out of school in Nigeria. Following the shutdown of schools across Northern Nigeria, there has been a rise in reported cases of child marriages and early pregnancies in school-age girls.
It is the responsibility of the government to ensure that they leave behind no child. Education is a human right, and the government must make certain that all children have access to basic education in an environment free from violence and threats of attacks. The government should continue efforts to diminish bloodshed by possibly engaging insurgents.
We call on the authorities to reaffirm their commitment to ensuring the safe return of children still in captivity, including the remaining 98 Chibok girls, Leah Sharibu, the only Dapchi schoolgirl still held captive by Boko Haram and other victims. Kidnappings cast a shadow over education, especially for girls, which in turn affects the prospects for socio-economic development in the region.
The Federal Government must investigate the poor implementation of the Safe School Initiative over the past few years. The Federal Finance Ministry and relevant state agencies should identify the 500 schools that have reportedly been funded under the initiative and account for the funding provided. Governments at all levels should help advance the programme, especially by transferring students in high-risk settings — especially girls — to safer schools until the security situation improves.
State and local education authorities should guarantee that schools adopt other measures envisioned in the initiative, including safety guidelines, incident response plans, and early warning procedures linking school administrators, community residents, and local safety agencies.
Painfully, nine years after terrorists kidnapped 276 girls from a Chibok school, the insurgency is far from over. The government and their international partners need to redouble their efforts to protect communities in affected or at-risk areas through the deployment of additional security forces and sustained counter-insurgency operations, as well as through dialogue where feasible.
Nigeria needs help, not just to recapture the remaining Dapchi girl, the 98 Chibok schoolgirls, and an unknown number of others still held in terrorist enclaves, but to fight the insurgency more broadly. Besides much-needed humanitarian help, international partners should continue to assist the government, especially by sharing intelligence and building the capacity of security forces to protect civilians.