10 Years After Chibok Abductions, Nigeria Faces Ongoing School Violence

As the anniversary of the Chibok abductions approaches, the plight of Nigerian schoolgirls remains a pressing issue. On April 14, 2024, it will be a decade since Boko Haram militants kidnapped over 200 girls from the Chibok Government Secondary School. While more than 100 have been freed since then, Amnesty International reports that 82 girls are still unaccounted for. The ongoing violence against educational institutions has led to significant casualties, with at least 1,743 individuals kidnapped and nearly 200 killed in school raids across Nigeria, particularly in the northwest. Despite improvements in girls' enrollment in northern Nigeria over the past decade, a 2021 survey by Nigeria’s National Bureau of Statistics and UNICEF revealed alarming literacy rates. Over half of women aged 15-49 in the northeastern and northwestern regions remain illiterate, contrasting sharply with less than 1% in the southeast. UNICEF warns that by 2030, Nigeria will account for a significant portion of Africa's children, highlighting the urgent need for educational reform and safety measures. The risks for students have escalated beyond insurgent attacks, as evidenced by a recent incident where over 100 students were abducted by criminal gangs in Kuriga. Amnesty International's Isa Sanusi criticized the Nigerian government for failing to implement protective measures for schools, despite the lessons learned from the Chibok tragedy. Parents, once fined for not sending their children to school, now face a grim reality where safety concerns hinder educational access for millions, particularly girls.