By Adedapo Adesanya
Amnesty International Nigeria has reported that about 780 children were abducted for ransom in 2021 with 61 still in captivity months after the mass abduction by bandits.
The group in a statement noted that many schools shut down indefinitely because of rising insecurity, saying that Nigerian authorities are failing children.
Amnesty Nigeria explained that months after their abduction during mass attacks on schools which also terminated the education, thousands of children in captivity are experiencing horrific and degrading treatment at the hands of bandits.
The organisation explained that children in orphanages, schools and places of worship are often abducted and held in captivity for weeks, sometimes months depending on when or if the demands of their abductors are met.
It added that children in school buses or walking to schools are also sometimes ambushed and abducted for ransom.
Speaking on this, Mr Osai Ojigho said, “School children in some parts of northern Nigeria are constantly at the risk of death or abduction. More than 780 children have been abducted for ransom since February 2021 during mass attacks on schools or religious institutions, with some of the children killed during the attacks.
“Parents of the abducted children or the school authorities are sometimes made to provide food and clothing for the children while in captivity.”
Amnesty noted that the future of thousands of school children in Northern Nigeria remains bleak as hundreds of schools in some states have been closed indefinitely due to rising insecurity. Many children abandoned education due to the psychological trauma of witnessing violent attacks or living in captivity.
A primary school teacher who teaches in the community, where 317 school children were abducted on February 26, 2021, in Jangebe LGA, Zamfara state told Amnesty International that insecurity has drastically reduced school attendance, as children are afraid of attending schools even when forced by their parents.
A 15-year-old boy, who sustained an injury while escaping mass abduction in his school, told Amnesty International that he would not be returning to school, whenever it reopens.
“If school reopens, I won’t go back to the boarding school, I will rather become a day student elsewhere. Anytime I remember what happens I get scared; it’s disturbing, I want all the children most especially my cousins to be rescued.
“When education institutions are targeted or attacked, the damage and consequences can be major and far-reaching. The protection of children’s lives is paramount, and the Nigerian authorities have a duty to ensure that the country’s educational sector is not further threatened by the abductions, intimidation and killing of school children,” Mr Ojigho said.
Section 27 of the Child Rights Act prohibits the abduction of children. Having ratified the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, Amnesty noted that Nigeria has an obligation to take appropriate measures to prevent the abduction of children and to guarantee children’s right to education.
Modupe Gbadeyanka