Data from an international children’s organisation, Save the Children, has revealed that between 2014 when 276 schoolgirls were abducted from Chibok in Borno State, and in December 2022, more than 1,680 schoolchildren have been kidnapped in the country.
According to the organisation, along with the above figure, over 180 other schoolchildren were killed and nearly 90 injured in 70 attacks between April 2014 and December 2022.
OsunDailyNG gathered that the organisation also revealed that during the period under review, an estimated 60 school staff were kidnapped and 14 killed, and 25 school buildings were reportedly destroyed.
Furthermore, the organisation said the majority of these attacks during the period happened in North-West Nigeria (49 attacks), followed by North-Central Nigeria (11 attacks).
The organisation bemoaned that in the aftermath of such attacks, children and communities are left traumatised, and the majority do not receive psychological support.
Speaking to the issue, the Country Director at Save the Children Nigeria, Famari Barro, said much effort needs to be put in place to curb this menace, but much more needs to be done to support such children who are victims and survivors and their families in the aftermath.
Barro said, “Nearly 10 years after the tragic abduction of the Chibok girls made international headlines, more than 90 of them are still held or missing, and countless children and teachers still live under the threat of violence, forcing many to flee or interrupt their education, sometimes forever.
“The combination of the trauma and loss of education resulting from these attacks is likely to be lifelong unless children are provided with the means and support to recover from the traumatic events they have been through and are able to return to school. It is vital that children’s lives and right to education are protected through the implementation of the Safe Schools Declaration across the country.”
