Amnesty International has condemned Nigerian authorities for failing to protect children in the northern states following the recent abduction of over 230 students in Kebbi and Niger states.

The organisation said the attacks highlight the government’s inability to prevent repeated assaults on schools, which have forced hundreds of institutions to shut down and disrupted the education of thousands of children across northern states, including Katsina and Plateau.

“The Nigerian authorities are failing children,” said Isa Sanusi, Director of Amnesty International Nigeria.
“School children in some parts of northern Nigeria are constantly at risk of death or abduction.”

Sanusi noted that in 2021 alone, more than 780 children were kidnapped from schools and religious centres, with some killed during these raids. He said the continued abductions demonstrate that authorities have “never learned from past incidents.”

Amnesty International also highlighted reports from teachers in Zamfara, Katsina, and Niger of declining school attendance since 2021, as children and their families fear returning to class. Many young girls are being withdrawn from school entirely and forced into early marriage to protect them from kidnappers.

“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,” Sanusi said.
“Hundreds of children may abandon education entirely due to the psychological trauma of witnessing violent attacks or living in captivity.”

The organisation warned that attacks on educational institutions have far-reaching consequences, emphasizing that Nigeria has an international obligation to protect children and ensure that killings, intimidation, and abductions do not cripple the school system.

“There is a deliberate attack on children by armed groups. Using children as shields or bargaining chips is unacceptable and must stop,” Sanusi added.
“The government should treat these attacks as possible war crimes and crimes against humanity. Education should not be a matter of life and death for anyone.”

Amnesty called on authorities to strengthen security around schools and ensure that perpetrators are arrested and prosecuted through fair trials.