authorities have failed to put in place and sustain crucial measures to provide a secure learning environment for every child, Human Rights Watch said today.or kidnapped across northern Nigeria. In the northeast, the armed conflict between Boko Haram and Nigerian armed forces continues to take its toll and, in the northwest, criminal groups commonly called bandits are terrorizing communities.
, an international political commitment to protect education from attack and schools from military use which turns them into targets. The government also adopted afor Nigeria with the support of the global community and Nigerian business leaders.
Kemi Okenyodo, an expert in security and governance and the executive director of the Rule of Law and Empowerment Initiative in Abuja, told Human Rights Watch that the ongoing school kidnappings, resembling those in Chibok a decade ago, highlight a failure to learn from past experiences, as they are taking place without adequate security infrastructure or intervention from authorities to prevent dozens or hundreds of children being snatched away at once.
In 2021, the government adopted the National Policy on Safety, Security and Violence Free Schools aimed at improving school security, strengthening the capabilities of security agents to respond to threats, and ensuring that education continues for children displaced by conflict and crisis, among other reasons. had been earmarked to pilot the initiative in 18 high-risk states and 48 schools.