By Ijeoma UKAZU
On the 9th of April 2014, 276 female students aged 16 to 18 were abducted in the middle of the night from their dormitory by the terrorist group known as Boko Haram from the Government Secondary School Chibok, in Bornu state, Nigeria.
According to reports, 57 of the school girls escaped immediately following the incident by jumping from the trucks by which they were being transported, while some have been rescued by the Nigerian armed forces on various occasions.
A coalition of civil society organizations such as the Bring Back Our Girls had put the government on its toes with hopes that the remaining girls might be released but 4 years after the Chibok abduction, on February 19th, 2018, 110 school girls aged 11 to 19 years were kidnapped by the same Boko Haram terrorists group from the Government Girls Science and Technical College, Dapchi in Bursari local government of Yobe state, Northeast Nigeria.
Following that incident, the federal government deployed the Nigerian Air Force to search for the missing school girls and, hopefully, enable their return. Reports say, five of the girls died the same day they were kidnapped. Boko Haram released everyone else in March 2018 except for Leah Sharibu, who is still in captivity.
Reports have it that the family members of Leah have, on several occasions, called on the President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, to put more effort into ensuring that their daughter is released and brought home safely, sadly, Leah is still in captivity.
The abductions in Chibok and Dapchi in 2014 and 2018 have caused several awareness across the globe on the need to have a safe teaching environment in schools nationwide.
Nine years after the Chibok incident in Nigeria, 96 girls remain in captivity, and thousands more children have been subjected to grave violations of their rights.
As recently as 7th April 2023, 80 children were reportedly abducted by militants in Zamfara State’s Tsafe Local Government Area according to local media. This reinforces the urgent need for action to protect children in Nigeria.
In a statement by the United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF Representative in Nigeria, Cristian Munduate said, “The statistics are disturbing; the reality is devastating. It has been 9 years since the horrendous abduction of the Chibok girls, yet the nightmare continues as children are still being kidnapped, forcibly recruited, killed, and injured– their futures torn away.”
Munduate adds that “We can not turn a blind eye to the suffering of Nigeria’s children. We must do everything in our power to ensure they grow up in safety, with access to education and the opportunity to fulfill their potential.”
UNICEF says since 2014, there have been over 2,400 incidents of grave violations verified, affecting over 6,800 children in the northeast. The most common violations are recruitment or use of children by armed groups with 700 verified cases, followed by abductions of children, with 693 incidents, and killing and maiming, with 675 incidents.
The statement states that “The impact of the conflict on education is alarming, with repercussions that will likely affect generations. The Teachers’ Registration Council of Nigeria, TCN, reports that, between 2009 and 2022, around 2,295 teachers were reportedly killed in attacks, over 19,000 teachers were displaced, more than 1,500 schools closed because of insecurity, and 910 schools were destroyed.
“UNICEF welcomes the Government of Nigeria’s signing of the UNICEF-supported handover protocol and its commitment to invest N144.8 billion ($314.5 Million) towards the Safe Schools Financing Plan in 2022 and stands ready to support the Government in its implementation to ensure that all children encountered in the course of armed conflict in Nigeria or released from armed groups are quickly reunited with their families and benefit from reintegration programmes.”
UNICEF Nigeria calls on all parties to the conflict to respect international humanitarian law and human rights law and protect the rights and well-being of children. UNICEF Nigeria stands committed to working with the government and partners to ensure that every child in Nigeria can enjoy their rights and live in a peaceful and prosperous environment.