News
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
Navy officer, family abducted in Kachia
By: Zagazola Makama
Armed bandits have abducted a naval officer and members of his family in Kachia Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
Zagazola learnt that the incident occurred on Aug. 20, 2025, at about 0200hrs, when the gunmen stormed Unguwan Mission, Kachia, and whisked away Seaman Olatunji Enoch, 40, of the Nigerian Navy attached to NNSAT Kachia.
The assailants also took away his wife, Margaret Olatunji, 25, and their daughter, Hellen Bitrus, 13, during the attack.
Security agencies have since launched a manhunt for the perpetrators, with cordon-and-search operations ongoing in surrounding bushes. The operation aims to ensure the safe rescue of the victims without harm.
Navy officer, family abducted in Kachia
News
International Police Academy – UNIPOL Appoints Joseph Icha, as Director International Counter Narcotics Training Nigeria Section
International Police Academy – UNIPOL Appoints Joseph Icha, as Director International Counter Narcotics Training Nigeria Section
By: Bodunrin Kayode
The international Police Academy (UNIPOL) has Appointed Deputy Commander General (DCG) Joseph Icha,
Director Training and Manpower Development, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) as Director International Counter Narcotics Training Nigeria Section.
A statement from the academy’s management stated that “the academy proudly announces the appointment of
DCG Joseph Icha, Director Training and Manpower Development, NDLEA as Director International Counter Narcotics Training Nigeria Section.
“This appointment recognizes
DCG Joseph Icha, Director Training and Manpower Development, NDLEA. exceptional contributions to national security, law enforcement leadership, and international cooperation.”
Icha has served the Agency in various Senior Management capacities as Principal Staff Officer, Assistant State Commander, Assistant Director, State Commander, and Deputy Director among others, with commendations.
The new international counter narcotics boss has attended several law enforcement courses on Drug Supply Suppression and Drug Demand Reduction within and outside the country.
“He is a Master Trainer with the United Nations Office of Drug and Crime (UNODC) in Drug Law Enforcement intelligence led investigation strategies and Criminal Intelligence. ” said the statement.
Joseph Icha has facilitated training programmes on behalf of UNODC to various law enforcement agencies in the country.
DCG Joseph Icha is a Law Enforcement Operative, mentor, curriculum designer, and advisor per excellence.
He is also a member of several international professional Organizations and currently is the Director Training and Manpower Development of NDLEA.
This important appointment was pronounced under the leadership of Dr. Alexander Jan M (Hany El Zahar), Executive Director, Founder, and CEO of the International Police Academy – UNIPOL, and IPA President (Rtd.) Senior Superintendent of Police Shuaib Adam HSC OLY VJ, International Director of Law Enforcement, Police, and Military, with the support of Prof. Yuval Binstoc (IPA) and Sir Junustia Brecen.
International Police Academy – UNIPOL Appoints Joseph Icha, as Director International Counter Narcotics Training Nigeria Section
Plateau State Complied with the deadline for 2024 Audited financial Reports…. Manset
By: Bodunrin Kayode
Plateau State Accountant General Naanret Manset has said that it was not true that Plateau state has refused to comply with the deadline given to states for the submission of 2024 audited financial statements.
Reacting to a report published recently, the accountant general in a statement noted that “the attention of the Office of the Accountant-General of Plateau State has been drawn to a publication by the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ) titled ‘It’s Past Deadline, 5 States Fail to Publish 2024 Financial Statements’, which wrongly lists Plateau State as one of the defaulters.”
Naanret Manset maintained that “For the record, Plateau State fully complied with all statutory timelines for the preparation, audit, and publication of its 2024 audited financial statements
“Submitted same to the Auditor-General in May, 2025 which is within the stipulated period of 6 months.
“Audit completed in June, 2025 and forwarded to the House of Assembly which is also within the stipulated period of 3 months.
“Approved by the House of Assembly
Published online on 27 July 2025, below the legal timeline of 9 months.
The audited report is publicly available here:
“We urge FIJ to promptly correct their publication and remove Plateau State from the list of non-compliant states.
Plateau State remains committed to transparency, accountability, and timely financial reporting.” It noted.
The FIJ had recently published that six Nigerian states are yet to publish their audited financial statements for the 2024 fiscal year.
It revealed that five of such erring states have already past their statutorily implied deadlines which Plateau is saying is not true as it applies to them.
The publication had said that ” erring states are Akwa Ibom, Kaduna, Ogun, Oyo, Plateau and Rivers.
“In Akwa Ibom’s case, its amended 2021 audit law gives the auditor general up to nine months to publish the report online after submitting it to the House of Assembly.
“The Accountant General has six months to present the books, followed by a 90-day audit and submission period.
” In the other five states, audit laws differ in the year they were enacted or updated, but the process is similar.
“The Accountant General must submit the financial documents to the audit office within three months after the financial year ends.
” The Auditor General is then required to audit the report, send it to the House of Assembly and publish it immediately.
“The Ogun State Audit Law (2021), Rivers State Audit Law (2021, as amended), Akwa Ibom State Audit Law (2021), Oyo State Audit Commission Law (2021) and Plateau State Audit Law (2021) all set out these requirements.
” In Rivers, however, publishing the audit is left to the discretion of the Auditor General.
“In past years, these states have published their audits between June and August. Some have also been ranked among the lowest in transparency.
” The CJID Openness Index, released in July 2024, placed all six in the bottom tier along with 10 others.”
Recently, FIJ reported Akwa Ibom’s repeated disregard for budgetary transparency despite binding provisions in its Fiscal Responsibility Law.
The FIJ report maintained that two states Yobe and Ekiti, scored above average for transparency and accountability in 2024, with 73 per cent and 54 per cent, according to the Sub national Audit Efficacy Index, published by the Paradigm Leadership Initiative.
The report noted that the annual assessment, which measures financial transparency and policy adoption across Nigeria’s state governments, shows a familiar trend: “stagnation or decline.”
Plateau State Complied with the deadline for 2024 Audited financial Reports…. Manset
Navy officer, family abducted in Kachia
International Police Academy – UNIPOL Appoints Joseph Icha, as Director International Counter Narcotics Training Nigeria Section
Plateau State Complied with the deadline for 2024 Audited financial Reports…. Manset
Roger Federer’s Shock as DNA Results Reveal Myla and Charlene Are Not His Biological Children
THE PLIGHT OF FARIDA
POLICE CHARGE ROOMS, A MINTING PRESS
-
News1 year agoRoger Federer’s Shock as DNA Results Reveal Myla and Charlene Are Not His Biological Children
-
Opinions4 years ago
THE PLIGHT OF FARIDA
-
Opinions4 years ago
POLICE CHARGE ROOMS, A MINTING PRESS
-
News1 year agoEYN: Rev. Billi, Distortion of History, and The Living Tamarind Tree
-
Columns1 year agoArmy University Biu: There is certain interest, but certainly not from Borno.
-
ACADEMICS1 year agoA History of Biu” (2015) and The Lingering Bura-Pabir Question (1)
-
Opinions2 years agoTinubu,Shettima: The epidemic of economic, insecurity in Nigeria
-
Politics2 months ago2027: Why Hon. Midala Balami Must Go, as Youths in Hawul and Asikira/Uba Federal Constituency Reject ₦500,000 as Sallah Gift
