Nigeria Kidnapping Crisis

    If you have not been following the news in Nigeria, there has been a kidnapping crisis for a while that has only gotten worse. Earlier this month, it was reported that over 73 students were abducted from a state-run high school in Zamfara's Maradun district. The high school was targeted by armed gang men and for security reasons, and over ten schools in the district were closed down. Once again, in July 2021, there were a reported 140 students missing after gunmen stormed another school in northwest Nigeria. This has been a reoccurring crisis for several years and it lead me to ask the question: Why are these high school children being targeted?

    The authorities say that kidnappers and bandits in the area are largely motivated by monetary rewards. The kidnapping of students offers the possibility of millions of dollars for ransom payments in money and vehicles. State governments need to stop rewarding kidnappers with money and vehicles as it is putting hundreds of children in danger. More importantly: What has been done to protect the security of these children?

    In April 2014, 276 mostly-female students aged from 16 to 18 were kidnapped by the terrorist group Boko Haram from the Government Girls Secondary School at the town of Chibok in Borno State, Nigeria. As a result, a "Safe School Initiative" was launched after the Chibok abduction to provide security in north-eastern Nigeria by building fences around schools. Clearly, the initiative has not been successful in preventing the kidnapping in 2018, 2020, and the most recent kidnappings in 2021. The Chibok attack has received international recognition in 2014, but the recent kidnappings have gone mostly unnoticed outside of Nigeria. Consequently, the #BringBackOurGirls was created to raise awareness, which applied pressure to the government and led to demonstrations. Unfortunately, the only way to ensure students are safe to return to school are by bringing attention to the issue, pressuring governments, and providing aid for the families separated in Nigeria. 

Source: 

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-58506419

https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/02/africa/schools-shut-nigeria-zamfara-intl/index.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/07/05/nigeria-students-kidnap/

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-56212645