Amnesty International Condemns Nigeria Over Rising School Att+cks

 

Amnesty International has condemned the surge in v%olent att+cks and mass abd¥ctions targeting schools across northern Nigeria, saying the government is failing to protect children.

The statement followed confirmation by the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) that 315 students and staff of St. Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools in Papiri, Agwarra LGA of Niger State were abd¥cted.

According to Isa Sanusi, Director of Amnesty International Nigeria, over 230 children were abd¥cted this week alone in two major att+cks, forcing hundreds of schools in Katsina, Plateau, and other states to shut down.

He said the latest a§§aults in Kebbi and Niger show authorities “never cared to learn any lessons,” recalling that more than 780 children were abd¥cted in 2021, with some k+lled.

Sanusi warned that insecurity has pushed school attendance drastically down since 2021, as children are too afraid to attend classes. He added that many underaged girls are being withdrawn and married off in attempts to “protect” them from possible school abd¥ctions.

He stressed that targeting schools has far-reaching, devastating consequences, “The protection of children’s lives is paramount. There is a deliberate att+ck on children by armed groups. Using children as shields or bargaining chips is unacceptable.”

Amnesty called on the Nigerian government to investigate these a§§aults as w+r cr%mes, bring perpetrators to justice, and secure schools nationwide.

“No child should go through this. Education should not be a matter of life and d+ath,” Sanusi said, urging authorities to act before more children are lost.