Hundreds Of Children Abducted From A School In Nigeria

It’s been over a decade since Boko Haram abducted 276 girls from a school in Chibok, Borno, in April 2014. The abduction received international attention, with the hashtag #BringBackOurGirl being shared globally, including by Michelle Obama. While the topic has long been gone from the public domain, some 90 girls are still missing. Furthermore, the Chibok girls’ abduction was not the first and not the last such crime perpetrated in Nigeria. A plethora of schools have been targeted since, with girls being abducted, raped, killed or forced into “marriages.”

Last week has seen hundreds of students abducted in a fresh wave of such attacks. On November 17, 2025, a Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga, Kebbi State, in Northwest Nigeria, was attacked, leaving the school’s Vice-Principal dead and some 25 students abducted. Reportedly, one of the abducted girls managed to escape. It did not stop there. On November 21, 2025, some 303 students and 12 teachers were abducted by gunmen from St. Mary’s School in Papiri, Niger state, Nigeria. The students are said to be both male and female, aged 10 to 18. Niger state has reportedly closed all schools until further notice and authorities have deployed security forces to try to find those missing.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attacks. However, they bear a striking resemblance to the tactics used by Boko Haram. Boko Haram, a Salafi-jihadi Muslim terrorist organization, first emerged in 2003. Boko Haram’s crimes are widespread, geographically, and vary greatly in magnitude. The group is based in north-east Nigeria but is also active in neighboring countries. Their crimes are mostly directed towards those who oppose Boko Haram’s ideologies or support “Western values.” The group subjects women and girls to physical and mental abuse, rape and sexual violence, forced labor and much more. In addition to the Chibok girls, Boko Haram abducted thousands more over the years, with the crimes receiving very little attention, let alone responses.

Whether Boko Haram or other terror groups, the new wave of attacks shows the lack of preparedness of Nigeria to such acts. Indeed, a UNICEF report, released in 2024 to mark 10 years since the Chibok kidnappings, found that only 37% of schools across 10 states have early warning systems to detect threats, including violence and armed attacks. Among others, the report revealed that Kaduna and Sokoto states lag significantly, with fulfillment rates at just 25% and 26%, respectively.

The findings are particularly concerning, as in the last ten years, conflict-related violence has led to more than 1,680 children abducted while at school and elsewhere. Some 180 children were killed due to attacks on schools. Furthermore, an estimated 60 school staff members were kidnapped, and 14 were killed. This violence is affecting children’s learning, with children afraid to return to school, and schools being closed due to attacks.

UNICEF Nigeria has been calling for the government, partners, and the international community to take decisive action to ensure all schools across all states have the resources and tools to fully implement the Minimum Standards for Safe Schools, focusing on the most vulnerable regions. It further called to strengthen law enforcement and security measures to protect educational institutions and communities from attacks and abductions, among others. However, equality, justice and accountability must prevail. All such attacks must be investigated and those responsible brought to account. However, little is known about whether such investigations are undertaken and whether they have resulted in effective prosecutions and convictions. The atrocities by Boko Haram are also subject to inquiries of the International Criminal Court; however, with no progress in the last five years. The abductions from schools across Nigeria require urgent and comprehensive responses not seen so far. Inaction cannot be justified.