Over 1,680 school kids abducted, 180 killed in Nigeria since 2014 —Report

A report published on Thursday by an international children’s NGO, Save the Children, has revealed that well over 1,680 school children have been kidnapped in Nigeria since the year 2014, beginning from the abduction of 276 schoolgirls from Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, in Borno State.

Enumerating the spate and trajectory of the abductions, the organisation said during the same period, over 180 school children were killed with over 90 injured in more than 70 attacks between April 2014 and December 2022, with an estimated 60 school staff kidnapped and 14 killed.

The report added that 25 school buildings were destroyed during that period with majority of the attacks taking place in North-West Nigeria which had 49 attacks, followed by North-Central Nigeria with 11 attacks recorded.

In the report endorsed by Famari Barro, Country Director at Save the Children Nigeria, the NGO said in the “aftermath of attacks, children and communities are left traumatised, and the majority do not receive psychological support.”

Read also: Amnesty says over 1,500 school children abducted by armed groups in Nigeria

“During the period under review, Save the Children staff found, during focus group discussions with affected communities, that many children were too scared to return to school,” Barro said.

“One girl, who survived the Chibok school attack, said: ‘I am afraid of being a victim some other day and afraid of dying or rape by the insurgents.’

“The Nigerian government and security agencies need to do more to prevent these attacks and also support children and their families in the aftermath of these attacks,” Barro added.

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