Nigeria: 47 students kidnapped in Borno school attack

Armed assailants stormed Nigeria's Lassa secondary school in Borno State on June 29, abducting 47 students. The attack resulted in the deaths of two teachers and one student. While police rescued ten teenagers, the incident is the latest in a disturbing pattern of school abductions across Nigeria. This wave of violence began in 2014 with the notorious kidnapping of 276 girls from Chibok.

Since then, more than 2,000 students and 1,000 teachers have been taken, according to human rights lawyer Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi. These abductions, often motivated by financial gain and carried out by both criminal gangs and jihadist groups, pose a constant threat to Nigerian schools, particularly in northern states. A 2023 Save the Children report documented 1,683 schoolchildren abducted since 2014, with a rising trend in recent years.

Recent incidents include the abduction of 39 students and seven teachers in Oyo state and another 50 in Borno state in mid-May. In November 2025, over 300 students from St. Mary's school in Papiri, Niger state, were also kidnapped.

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We thought the government would learn the lesson of the Chibok girls… but it's obvious that this is not a priority for the Government. The president of this country has the responsibility to guarantee the security of the citizens. And it is clear that he has failed in this task… Today our children are not only physically threatened but are psychologically tormented. Our children cannot go to school with peace of mind.

Akiyode-Afolabi expressed deep concern, stating, "We thought the government would learn from the Chibok girls... but it's obvious this is not a priority for the government." She emphasized the president's responsibility for citizen security, which she believes has been neglected. "Today our children are not only physically threatened but psychologically tormented. Our children cannot go to school in peace," she lamented.

Despite Nigeria's adherence to the Safe Schools Declaration in 2015, an international commitment to protect students and educators, organizations like Amnesty International accuse authorities of inaction. "The protection of children's lives is paramount, and the Nigerian government has a duty to ensure that the country's education sector is not further threatened by armed groups sowing chaos in northern Nigeria," Amnesty International Nigeria stated on X following the Lassa abduction. These abductions, typically resolved through ransom payments, though sometimes taking months or years, have a profound impact on the education sector and the psychological well-being of students.

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The protection of children's lives is paramount, and the Nigerian government has the duty to ensure that the education sector of the country is not further threatened by armed groups sowing chaos in northern Nigeria.