Amnesty International, a prominent human rights organisation, has issued a plea to the Nigerian government, urging them to redouble their efforts towards securing the release and safe return of the 82 Chibok schoolgirls still in captivity after being abducted by Boko Haram militants in 2014.
Amnesty International’s call to action went beyond the plight of the Chibok schoolgirls, imploring the Nigerian authorities to take concrete steps to safeguard schools from the looming threat of child abductions. Over the past decade, since the notorious Chibok raid, there has been an alarming surge in such incidents, underscoring the need for a comprehensive and holistic approach to combatting this pernicious trend.
As the harrowing Chibok schoolgirl abduction reaches its 10-year anniversary, Amnesty International has released startling figures on the magnitude of child abductions in Nigeria. At least 1,700 children, many of whom were also taken from their schools, have endured such heinous treatment as rape and other forms of abuse. This grim statistic casts a sobering shadow on the occasion, as the gravity of the problem comes into stark focus.
Isa Sanusi, Director of Amnesty International Nigeria, says, “It is shocking that in the 10 years since the Chibok school abduction, the Nigerian authorities have not learned any lessons or taken effective measures to prevent attacks on schools.
“The number of abductions that have taken place since 2014, including as recently as last month, and the fact that hundreds of children are still in the custody of gunmen, shows the lack of political will by the authorities to address the problem.
“The abduction of children and attacks on schools may amount to war crimes. It is the duty of the Nigerian authorities to end these attacks and bring the suspected perpetrators to justice through fair trials and ensure access of victims to justice and effective remedies.
“A decade is enough time for the Nigerian authorities to find a solution to this problem, but so far, the reality shows the government has neither the will nor the commitment to end these attacks on children and their schools.”
Amnesty International’s findings highlight the devastating and far-reaching implications of the Chibok abduction for the educational landscape in the area. A decade after this horrific incident, the effects continue to reverberate through the region’s school system, with schools struggling to provide a safe and secure environment for students, parents and teachers, even as they strive to overcome the lingering fear and trauma of the tragic event.
It says, “The Borno state government rebuilt the Government Girls Secondary School Chibok, which was completely burnt down by Boko Haram in 2014, and set up day secondary schools and a technical school in Chibok.
“However, academic activities in the schools remain minimal because parents are still skeptical of sending their children to school, for fear of being abducted by Boko Haram.”
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