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Nigeria: 10 Years after Chibok, Schoolchildren Still at Risk – HRW
Nigeria: 10 Years after Chibok, Schoolchildren Still at Risk – HRW
…Urges Government To Implement Safe Schools Plan to Protect Schools, Children
By: Our Reporter
Ten years after the abduction of over 200 schoolgirls in Chibok, Nigerian authorities have failed to put in place and sustain crucial measures to provide a secure learning environment for every child, Human Rights Watch said today.
Since 2014, according to Save the Children, more than 1,600 children have been abducted or kidnapped across northern Nigeria. In the northeast, the armed conflict between Boko Haram and Nigerian armed forces continues to take its toll and, in the northwest, criminal groups commonly called bandits are terrorizing communities. During February and March 2024 alone, bandits kidnapped over 200 children from their schools in Kaduna and Sokoto states.
“For many children across northern Nigeria, the pursuit of an education means facing the constant threat of abduction or kidnapping,” said Anietie Ewang, Nigeria researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Children should never face the harrowing dilemma of sacrificing their safety for education, but this untenable choice, which echoes the profound insecurity plaguing the country, is thrust upon them daily.”
On April 14, 2014, Boko Haram, an Islamist armed group, abducted 276 girls from their school in Chibok, a town in northeastern Borno state, sparking global outrage. Although some of the girls escaped, or were released or rescued, 96 remain in captivity according to UNICEF, and civil society groups continue to pressure the government to ensure they are rescued. Boko Haram, known for its opposition to education, has carried out other such abductions, including one of 110 girls from a school in Dapchi, a town in Yobe state, in 2018.
In addition to kidnappings by Boko Haram in the northeast, the ongoing banditry crisis in the northwest has in recent years made that area a hub for criminal kidnapping for ransom. The crisis emerged after years of conflict between herders and farmers, giving rise to the criminal groups, which have carried out widespread killings, looting, extortion, and kidnapping for ransom in mostly rural communities.
Between December 2020 and February 2021, a series of high-profile incidents, including the abduction of over 600 schoolchildren across Zamfara, Katsina, and Niger states, thrust the kidnapping issue into the spotlight.
In the aftermath of Chibok, the Nigerian government endorsed the Safe Schools Declaration, an international political commitment to protect education from attack and schools from military use which turns them into targets. The government also adopted a Safe School Initiative for Nigeria with the support of the global community and Nigerian business leaders. The initiative aimed to raise funds with an initial US$10 million pledge to help make schools safer, including by moving them to safer areas and creating a safe school model for schools across Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe, the three states worst hit by the Boko Haram insurgency.
However, the multi-stakeholder initiative faced problems, and there has been a decline in momentum over the years with little or no progress made in fortifying schools, Human Rights Watch said. In 2021, Nigeria’s then-Senate president Ahmad Lawan, following an investigation into the utilization of the funds for the initiative, declared that it was designed to fail without a National Policy and Strategy for the Safe School Initiative and the leadership of the Federal Education Ministry. In the meantime, communities continue to suffer the brunt of bandit attacks and schoolchildren remain vulnerable prey.
A Chibok girl who was in Boko Haram captivity for over two years, and was released with 20 others, told Human Rights Watch that news of school kidnappings brings back memories of her ordeal. “Whenever I hear that more children have been kidnapped, I feel terrible, helpless,” she said. “We are still not safe … It brings back memories of what happened to me. I can never forget being snatched from my parents, my family for so long. I pray this is not the case for those that are kidnapped.” She is now a 28-year-old university student studying natural and environmental sciences.
Kemi Okenyodo, an expert in security and governance and the executive director of the Rule of Law and Empowerment Initiative in Abuja, told Human Rights Watch that the ongoing school kidnappings, resembling those in Chibok a decade ago, highlight a failure to learn from past experiences, as they are taking place without adequate security infrastructure or intervention from authorities to prevent dozens or hundreds of children being snatched away at once.
Amid the heightened threat of attacks on schools, many have been forced to shut down completely, with more than 20 million children out of school in Nigeria, according to UNESCO, among the highest number in any country in the world. According to UNICEF, 66 percent of out-of-school children in Nigeria are from the northeast and northwest, which are among the poorest regions in the country.
For girls especially, the challenges are double edged. They risk rape and other forms of sexual violence if kidnapped, and if kept out of school, they risk child marriage, which is a common practice in these regions.
In 2021, the government adopted the National Policy on Safety, Security and Violence Free Schools aimed at improving school security, strengthening the capabilities of security agents to respond to threats, and ensuring that education continues for children displaced by conflict and crisis, among other reasons.
The authorities committed to investing 144.8 billion naira (about $314.5 million at the time) over a certain period to finance this initiative. In 2023, they announced that 15 billion naira (about $24 million at the time) had been earmarked to pilot the initiative in 18 high-risk states and 48 schools. However, details of the implementation are sparse, and it remains unclear the extent to which this has been done.
Okenyodo told Human Rights Watch that the government needs to involve communities in designing and implementing initiatives to make schools safer to create a sense of ownership and reduce inefficiency and corruption.
“Now more than ever, the Nigerian authorities should step up efforts to make learning safe for children,” Ewang said. “They should work with communities to adopt rights-respecting measures and put in place adequate financing, systems, and structures to ensure quick, effective, and transparent implementation to ensure that children can learn without being exposed to grave harm.”
Nigeria: 10 Years after Chibok, Schoolchildren Still at Risk – HRW
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Nigeria Promotes 70,000 Paramilitary Officers, Deploys High-Tech Immigration Centre to Tighten Border Control
Nigeria Promotes 70,000 Paramilitary Officers, Deploys High-Tech Immigration Centre to Tighten Border Control
By: Michael Mike
In a sweeping show of reform across Nigeria’s internal security architecture, the Federal Government has promoted more than 70,000 paramilitary officers within three years and launched a technology-driven Integrated Operating Centre to track immigration violators in real time.
Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, announced the twin developments in Abuja while declaring open the 2026 Sectoral Performance Retreat for agencies under the Ministry of Interior. The retreat, held at the Nigeria Army Conference Centre, was themed “Accountable Leadership, Measurable Impacts: Reviewing Results, Renewing Commitments.”
Tunji-Ojo described the mass promotion exercise as unprecedented, saying it reflects the commitment of President Bola Tinubu’s administration to improve morale and restore professionalism across the paramilitary services.
“Only yesterday, I approved the 2026 promotion of personnel across all agencies under the Ministry. By April and May, the implementation will commence,” the minister said, urging officers to reciprocate government’s support with discipline, patriotism and improved service delivery.
In what observers see as a major shift toward data-driven border management, Tunji-Ojo disclosed that the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has inaugurated an Integrated Operating Centre (IOC) equipped with sophisticated surveillance and data harmonisation tools.
According to him, the centre provides real-time intelligence on foreigners who have overstayed their visas, with historical data covering up to a decade.
“With the kind of sophisticated gadgets and equipment now in place, the Immigration Service has become a strong internal security enabler. The Service will go after those who have overstayed. It is no longer business as usual,” he declared.
The minister said the deployment of advanced analytics and harmonised databases has placed persons of interest squarely on government radar, reinforcing efforts to secure Nigeria’s borders and sanitise its migration system.
As part of ongoing reforms, he revealed that seven new Forward Operating Bases (FOBs) have been established to strengthen border surveillance and migration management nationwide. He commended the Comptroller-General of the NIS, Kemi Nanna Nandap, for what he described as visionary leadership in modernising the Service.
The minister also applauded the efforts of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS), and the Federal Fire Service (FFS), but warned that commendation must not breed complacency.
He tasked the NSCDC with intensifying protection of critical national infrastructure, including oil pipelines, solid mineral sites, schools and hospitals, stressing that the corps “cannot be run like a volunteer service.” He urged its Commandant-General, Prof. Ahmed Audi, to submit a clear operational roadmap following his reappointment.
On correctional reforms, Tunji-Ojo insisted that efforts must go beyond custodial management to ensure rehabilitation and reintegration, warning that repeat offending signals systemic failure.
“If offenders complete their sentences and return to crime, then we have not succeeded,” he said.
Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr. Magdalene Ajani, described the retreat as a critical platform for reviewing stewardship and aligning performance with national priorities. She said the Ministry carries enormous responsibility in border management, citizenship administration and internal security, all of which directly affect the daily lives of Nigerians.
Ajani stressed the need to align operations with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Tinubu, encouraging openness to constructive criticism and innovative thinking.
She expressed confidence that the retreat would produce a concrete roadmap to guide the Ministry’s agencies in delivering measurable results in the year ahead.
The dual announcement of mass promotions and high-tech border surveillance signals a government intent on pairing welfare reforms with operational efficiency — a strategy officials say is essential to strengthening Nigeria’s security framework in an era of complex internal and cross-border threats.
Nigeria Promotes 70,000 Paramilitary Officers, Deploys High-Tech Immigration Centre to Tighten Border Control
Troops of Operation FANSAN YANMA neutralise two terrorists, recover weapons in Katsina
By: Zagazola Makama
Troops of 17 Brigade, Operation FANSAN YANMA of the Nigerian Army, on March 4, 2026, successfully engaged terrorists during clearance operations at notorious hideouts in Barkishi Maiha Gumma, Sabuwa Local Government Area of Katsina State.
Sources told Zagazola Makama that In the ensuing gun battle, the troops overpowered the terrorists, neutralising two insurgents and recovering one AK-47 rifle, one magazine, four rounds of ammunition, a motorcycle, a matchete, a Tecno phone, and two extra phone batteries.
There were no casualties among the troops.
The sources said that the General Officer Commanding 8 Division and Commander, Sector 2 Joint Task Force (North West), Maj. Gen. Paul Koughna, commended the troops for their bravery and urged continued operations to completely eliminate terrorist threats in the region.
Troops of Operation FANSAN YANMA neutralise two terrorists, recover weapons in Katsina
NDLEA Insists Drug Case Against Abba Kyari Continues Despite Court Discharge
By: Michael Mike
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has reaffirmed that its substantive drug trafficking case against suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari, remains firmly on track, clarifying that recent court proceedings discharging him on a separate matter do not affect the ongoing trial.
The agency said the core drug case is scheduled to continue before Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on Monday, March 16, 2026.
NDLEA’s clarification follows the decision of Justice James Omotosho, who discharged Kyari in a 23-count charge relating to alleged money laundering and non-declaration of assets. The anti-narcotics agency stressed that the ruling pertains to a different case and should not be confused with the main drug prosecution.
Reacting to inquiries on whether the agency would challenge the ruling, NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, explained that the prosecution team has been directed to obtain the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the judgment before determining the next legal step.
He emphasized that the matter decided by Justice Omotosho is distinct from the substantive drug charges pending before Justice Nwite, noting that the latter remains active and unaffected.
The spokesman of the anti-narcotics agency, Femi Babafemi in a statement on Thursday, said: “First, I need to clarify that the ruling by Justice Omotosho is completely different from the main and substantive drug case which continues before Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on Monday, March 16, 2026. That one is very much on course.”
He added that the prosecution team would review the detailed judgment upon receipt of the CTC to guide the agency’s management in deciding whether an appeal is warranted.
The development underscores the complex legal battles facing the suspended senior police officer, as the NDLEA maintains its resolve to pursue the substantive drug allegations to their conclusion in court.
NDLEA Insists Drug Case Against Abba Kyari Continues Despite Court Discharge
Nigeria Promotes 70,000 Paramilitary Officers, Deploys High-Tech Immigration Centre to Tighten Border Control
Troops of Operation FANSAN YANMA neutralise two terrorists, recover weapons in Katsina
NDLEA Insists Drug Case Against Abba Kyari Continues Despite Court Discharge
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