Amnesty International Condemns Rising Attacks on Schools, Says Nigeria Is “Failing Its Children”

Global rights organisation Amnesty International has expressed deep concern over the wave of violent attacks sweeping across Nigeria, describing the situation as further proof that the government is failing to protect its most vulnerable citizens — schoolchildren.

In a statement issued on Saturday, the organisation criticised the government’s response to the abduction of students, particularly in northern Nigeria, stressing that authorities are not doing enough to guarantee the safety of children or secure their learning environment.

The comment follows 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 abducted by armed men.

Amnesty International Nigeria’s Director, Isa Sanusi, said the latest incidents highlight a recurring pattern of government failure.

“The Nigerian authorities are failing children, as over 230 children are in captivity this week alone after two mass school abductions. Hundreds of schools in Katsina, Plateau, and other states have been shut down because of insecurity,” Sanusi said.

He described the attacks in Kebbi and Niger states as fresh evidence that authorities have “never cared to learn any lessons” from previous tragedies, including cases where abducted schoolchildren were killed.

Sanusi noted that insecurity has drastically disrupted education in the North. In some states, children are now too afraid to attend school, while teachers in Zamfara, Katsina and Niger told Amnesty that school attendance has declined sharply since 2021.

“Underaged girls are being withdrawn from school and married off, all in the name of shielding them from possible abduction. Hundreds of children are abandoning education entirely due to trauma,” he added.

Amnesty International stressed that more than 780 children were abducted in 2021 alone during attacks on schools, pointing to a long-standing crisis that has yet to be addressed meaningfully.

The organisation condemned the use of children as bargaining chips, describing it as a war crime and calling on the Nigerian government to ensure accountability.

“Education should never be a matter of life and death. No child should experience what children in northern Nigeria are going through today,” Sanusi said.

He urged authorities to secure learning environments and ensure that all attacks on schools are thoroughly investigated, with perpetrators brought to justice in fair trials.