Islamism
Better protection for schools in northern Nigeria
picture alliance / ASSOCIATED PRESS / Sunday Alamba
Commemorating the 10th anniversary of the kidnapping of Government Girls Secondary School Chibok by Boko Haram in Lagos, Nigeria in April.
The Islamist terror organisation Boko Haram has various ways to spread its extremist propaganda and target vulnerable young people in northern Nigeria and other regions. The terrorists do not refrain from using brutal force too, as repeated attacks on schools show. Mass abductions have occurred several times. Hundreds of schools have been destroyed or forced to close in northeastern Nigeria in the past 15 years.
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the abduction of 276 girls from a secondary school in Chibok, Borno state. While some girls were released or managed to flee, 82 of them are still in captivity, according to Amnesty International, the human-rights organisation.
Since the Chibok school incident, Amnesty has documented at least 17 cases of mass abductions with at least 1,700 children seized from their schools by gunmen. Many of the victims suffered serious abuse, including rape and forced marriage. Often, they are forced to choose between two horrific options: join the deadly group or be killed.
“It is shocking that in the 10 years since the Chibok school abduction, the Nigerian authorities have not learned any lessons or taken effective measures to prevent attacks on schools,” Isa Sanusi, head of Amnesty’s Nigerian branch declared in a press statement in April. She urged the authorities to ensure that the remaining 82 abducted Chibok school girls return to their homes. She also demanded that schools be better protected. The suspected perpetrators should be brought to justice and victims should have access to remedies.
In May 2014, following the Chibok school abduction, an initiative to make schools safer was launched by the Nigerian Government, the United Nations Special Envoy for Global Education, Gordon Brown, and a coalition of Nigerian business leaders. However, Amnesty bemoans that bureaucracy and corruption have delayed its implementation. As a result, the education of thousands of children was interrupted.
Adaze Okeaya-inneh is a journalist and screenwriter in Lagos.
adazeirefunmi@gmail.com