Officials say that more than 80 children are missing after suspected militants attacked schools in Nigeria over the past week, marking the latest in a series of school abductions in the West African country where the government is battling jihadist and other armed groups.
Attacks in Borno and Oyo States
The attackers targeted a primary school in the conflict-battered state of Borno, in Nigeria’s northeastern corner, between Wednesday and Thursday. Militants abducted 42 children in the Askira Uba and Chibok areas. Amnesty International reported that the attack occurred in the village of Mussa near Sambisa Forest, a stronghold of Boko Haram and its splinter group, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).
In southwestern Oyo state, two secondary schools were attacked hours apart on Friday, resulting in the abduction of at least 40 children, according to Amnesty’s Nigeria branch. Such abductions are rare in this region.
Impact on Education and Families
The rights group warned on Sunday that the threat of abduction is forcing many children out of school, while underage girls are being pulled from classrooms and forced into marriage by families seeking to protect them from school attacks.
Peter Wabba, a government official from Mussa, said on Sunday that he was told the “exact number” of children abducted in Oyo was 48. “The government is assuring us that they are doing their possible best to see that these children are rescued but up till now, we are still waiting,” he told The Associated Press.
Lack of Justice and Arrests
Amnesty also stated that authorities “never fulfill promises to investigate the incidents and bring the perpetrators to justice.” “Victims and their families continue to be denied access to justice,” it said.
On Saturday, police spokesperson Ayanlade Olayinka told the AP that three gunmen were detained in connection with the Oyo attack, which took place in the Oriire area, about 220 kilometers (135 miles) from Lagos. The suspects were identified by the community and arrested, Olayinka said. Police did not specify if they were searching for more suspects.
Context of School Abductions
Abductions of schoolchildren are common in Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation, especially in the north. Last year, two mass abductions from schools rocked the nation, with over 300 children taken in the northern region. School kidnappings have come to define insecurity in Nigeria, and analysts say armed gangs often see schools as strategic targets to draw more attention.
