Amnesty Int’l accuses Buhari govt of failing to protect Nigerian school children

Global human rights organisation, Amnesty International, has accused the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government of failing to protect Nigerian school children in his eight years in office.

In a press release issued on Friday by the Acting Director of Amnesty International, Nigeria, Isa Sanusi, the body said Buhari had not learned from the mistakes made by former President Goodluck Jonathan in handling the abduction of 276 students from Government Girls Secondary School in Chibok, in Borno State, by Boko Haram terrorists on April 14, 2014.

As Nigerians and the world mark the date of the abduction of the girls, Amnesty International said the present government under Buhari has not carried out a single credible investigation into the security failures that left children vulnerable to the atrocities committed by Boko Haram and gunmen.

“Nine years after Boko Haram abducted 276 students from a girls’ school in Chibok, 98 girls are still being held by Boko Haram and a slew of abductions have taken place since, revealing the utter failure of the Nigerian authorities to learn from the heartbreak of Chibok and, ultimately, to protect children,” the AI release said.

“Since the Chibok school girls were abducted by Boko Haram, a plethora of schools have been targeted, with girls being abducted, raped, killed or forced into “marriages”.

“Parents of the 98 Chibok school girls who are still being held by Boko Haram, as well as other children abducted by gunmen, are living in anguish, knowing that their children are in the hands of ruthless individuals who subject their loved ones to chilling brutalities.

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“It is beyond time that the Nigerian authorities took meaningful action to counter armed groups like Boko Haram and gunmen.

“Nigeria has an obligation to implement safeguards to protect all children, and the lack of accountability for these callous crimes is fueling impunity. The missing Chibok school girls should be returned home to their families, and all those responsible for committing grave violations must face justice.

“Between December 2020 and March 2021, there have been at least five reported cases of abductions in northern Nigeria, including from schools, at Kankara, Kagara, Jangebe, Damishi Kaduna, Tegina and Yawuri while the threat of further attacks has led to the closure of over 600 schools in the north of the country.

“Of the more than 780 children who have been abducted for ransom, more than 61 children are still being held in captivity two years after they were abducted by gunmen. Many schools in the region were shuttered — and remain closed — due to rising insecurity.

“Rescuing the remaining Chibok girls is of paramount importance; the task of finding them should not become yet another failed project of the government. It is absolutely crucial that the outgoing government of Nigeria does all in its power to bring these girls — as well as all other children being held by various armed groups — home to their families,” Sanusi said.

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