A popular rights group has criticised the federal and state governments for repeatedly failing to learn from past school abductions, a lapse it says continues to expose students, teachers, and communities to preventable attacks.
The Human Rights Watch warned that the authorities’ slow and inadequate response to insecurity, especially in school environments has contributed to a dangerous cycle in which armed groups strike the same targets with little resistance.
It called on the government to act swiftly to secure the release of recently abducted students and to implement concrete measures to prevent further kidnappings.
Nigeria has witnessed several high-profile school abductions in the past decade, including the 2014 kidnapping of nearly 300 Chibok schoolgirls by Boko Haram and the December 2020 abduction of more than 300 schoolboys in Kankara, Katsina State. Both incidents sparked global condemnation and exposed weak security systems around schools.
In its latest findings, led by researcher Anietie Ewang, HRW noted that the recurrence of such attacks reflects a troubling pattern of government negligence.
“Nigerian authorities have failed to apply lessons from previous attacks to create early warning systems and other measures that could prevent these atrocities,” the group said in a statement, adding that the deepening crisis underscores the government’s inability to protect vulnerable communities.
