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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
Six killed, nine injured in fatal auto crash in Plateau
By: Zagazola Makama
Six persons were killed and nine others injured in a fatal motor accident involving a trailer truck at Shendam Road junction in Langtang North Local Government Area of Plateau State.
Sources said that the accident occurred at about 5:30 a.m. on Jan. 4 when a trailer conveying about 400 bags of unprocessed rice from Yelwa-Shendam en route Kano State lost control and fell off the road.
The deceased were identified as Samaila Dahiru, from Katsina State; Sanusi Ladan Yelwa, from Toro Local Government Area of Bauchi State; Abubakar Sa’id, from Dass Local Government Area of Bauchi State; and Zaradeen Makama, from Birnin Kudu, Jigawa State.
Police said two other victims died in the crash but were yet to be identified as at the time of filing this report.
They added that nine persons sustained varying degrees of injuries.
“On receipt of the distress call, the Divisional Police Officer, Langtang North, mobilised and led a team of policemen to the scene and cordoned off the area,” the sources said.
They said the injured victims were rushed to the General Hospital, Langtang North, with the assistance of personnel of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and members of the public for medical attention.
According to the sources , the identified corpses were released to their relatives for burial in line with Islamic rites.
Six killed, nine injured in fatal auto crash in Plateau
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Realistic training key to winning modern battles, says Army Chief as he declared the TRADOC Conference 2026 open
Realistic training key to winning modern battles, says Army Chief as he declared the TRADOC Conference 2026 open
By: Zagazola Makama
The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen. Waidi Shaibu, has reiterated that realistic, mission-oriented and doctrine-driven training remains the most critical enabler for superior operational outcomes across Nigeria’s diverse theatres of operation.
Shaibu made this assertion while delivering his opening remarks at the 2026 Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) Conference, which formally commenced the Nigerian Army’s training activities for the year.
The Army Chief warned that failure to adequately and realistically prepare officers and soldiers for assigned missions would inevitably undermine operational effectiveness, noting that the evolving and increasingly complex security environment demands a force that is professional, adaptable, combat-ready and resilient.
According to him, the conference was convened to promote robust and forward-looking deliberations aimed at aligning training, doctrine and operational concepts with contemporary and emerging security challenges confronting the nation.
Shaibu said Army Headquarters remained firmly focused on sound policy formulation and holistic, mission-specific training, in line with his Command Philosophy.
He charged commandants and leaders of training institutions to internalise this philosophy and translate it into practical outcomes by producing combat-ready, resilient and adaptable troops capable of operating effectively within joint and multi-agency environments.
The COAS described the theme of the conference, “Enhancing Nigerian Army Operational Outcomes Through Effective Training and Doctrine Implementation,” as apt and timely, stressing that doctrine must continue to guide training, planning and the execution of operations across all formations.
He urged participants to relate conference presentations to real operational experiences, with a view to strengthening the Army’s capacity to counter terrorism, insurgency and other contemporary security threats.
Shaibu placed particular emphasis on Exercise MUGUN BUGU, describing it as the hallmark of Nigerian Army training activities. He said the exercise remained central to validating doctrinal principles and assessing operational readiness.
The Army Chief called for greater realism in training scenarios, including the integration of improvised explosive device (IED) threats, explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) procedures and the expanded use of simulators to enhance proficiency and cost-effectiveness.
While acknowledging the sacrifices of Nigerian Army personnel in safeguarding national security, Shaibu reaffirmed his commitment to strengthening fighting power, improving welfare and administration, and providing purposeful leadership to confront threats to peace and security.
He also commended past commanders of the Training and Doctrine Command, retired senior officers and the current TRADOC leadership for their contributions to the development of the Nigerian Army.
The COAS appreciated the conference resource persons for their insights, which he said would help shape the Army’s training and doctrinal direction in the year ahead.
Shaibu further expressed gratitude to the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, for his sustained support to the Nigerian Army, while reaffirming the unalloyed loyalty of the Service to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
In his welcome remarks, the Commander, Training and Doctrine Command, Maj.-Gen. Peter Malla, described the conference as a critical intellectual platform for setting the tone for Nigerian Army training activities in 2026.
Malla said the conference underscored the Army’s unwavering commitment to doctrine-driven, realistic and mission-focused training as the foundation for operational effectiveness, particularly in an increasingly complex and adaptive security environment.
He noted that Nigeria’s prolonged engagements in counter-terrorism, counter-insurgency and other internal security operations had consistently highlighted the vital link between sound doctrine, effective training and operational success.
The TRADOC commander reaffirmed the command’s commitment to Nigerian Army Doctrine as the professional blueprint guiding operations, stressing the need for doctrine to remain dynamic and responsive to emerging threats.
He urged participants to actively engage in deliberations, challenge assumptions and propose practical solutions aimed at enhancing training effectiveness and strengthening the Army’s collective operational competence.
The COAS later formally declared the Training and Doctrine Command Conference 2026 open
Realistic training key to winning modern battles, says Army Chief as he declared the TRADOC Conference 2026 open
One killed, nine arrested as rival gangs clash in Kano
By: Zagazola Makama
One person was killed and nine suspects arrested following a violent clash between rival thuggery groups in Kawo and Mariri areas of Kano metropolis, sources have confirmed.
Sources told the Zagazola Makama that the incident occurred on Jan. 4 at about 9:00 p.m., following a fight between two rival groups led by Kabalo Snu and Faizu Mohammed, popularly known as Chabross of Yar Kasuwa, Kawo Quarters.
According to the sources, the clash was a reprisal attack linked to an earlier confrontation between the two groups. They said that earlier in the day, at about 1:40 p.m., Faizu Mohammed allegedly inflicted injuries on Kabalo during a separate altercation, prompting members of Kabalo’s group to launch a retaliatory attack later that night.
During the reprisal, Faizu Mohammed was reportedly stabbed in the neck with a sharp object, sustaining severe injuries. He was rushed to Sir Muhammadu Sanusi Specialist Hospital, where he died while receiving treatment.
The sources said the corpse was subsequently released to his relatives for burial, while normalcy was restored in the area.
However, tension resurfaced in the early hours of Jan. 5 when information was received that some suspected thugs were mobilising in large numbers at Kawo Quarters, allegedly to carry out another reprisal attack on Kabalo at his residence located at Jar Kuka, Mariri Quarters.
The sources said police operatives were swiftly deployed to the area and arrived to find that the suspects had already broken into a shop belonging to Kabalo.
According to the sources, the operatives charged into the area, arrested nine suspects and recovered some exhibits, while several others fled the scene.
The sources added that the situation has since been brought under control, with normalcy restored across the affected neighbourhoods. Investigation is ongoing, while efforts are being intensified to arrest other fleeing suspects and prevent further breakdown of law and order.
One killed, nine arrested as rival gangs clash in Kano
Six killed, nine injured in fatal auto crash in Plateau
Realistic training key to winning modern battles, says Army Chief as he declared the TRADOC Conference 2026 open
One killed, nine arrested as rival gangs clash in Kano
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