The mass abduction at the Government Girls’ Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, in Kebbi State represents yet another tragic chapter in Nigeria’s persistent failure to secure schools.
Development Diaries reports that the attack occurred in the early hours before dawn prayers on Monday, with attackers killing a staff member and injuring a security guard before escaping with several students, according to HumAngle’s account.
This incident again brings to the fore the vulnerability of schools in northwestern Nigeria, especially girls’ schools, which have increasingly become targets for abduction and violence.
Historically, Kebbi State and the broader northwest region have experienced similar attacks, including the June 2021 abduction at the Federal Government College in Birnin Yauri that saw at least 80 students and five teachers kidnapped, and a police officer killed.
A 2023 report by Save the Children reveals that a total of 1,683 schoolchildren have been kidnapped in Nigeria since the 2014 abduction of 276 schoolgirls from Chibok in Borno State, with fear of attacks stopping some children from ever attending school.
These attacks are part of a disturbing pattern of insecurity that disrupts education, traumatises communities, and threatens the fundamental rights of children.
Internationally, the targeting of school children violates multiple conventions, including the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which obliges governments to protect children from violence, exploitation, and abduction.
Nigeria, as a signatory, has a duty to ensure the safety of students and teachers. The persistent failure to secure schools undermines these obligations and erodes public trust in security institutions tasked with protecting the most vulnerable.
Recall that in 2024, the federal government allocated N112 billion through the National Plan for Financing Safe Schools as part of efforts to safeguard learning environments over the next three years.
Swift intelligence gathering, deployment of security personnel, and community engagement are critical. The government must demonstrate that attacks on schools will not be tolerated, ensuring that children can access education without fear of violence or abduction.
Photo source: AFP
