[Stock photograph] A schoolgirl’s name is written on a chair in a deserted classroom at the Government Girls High School, a day after gunmen kidnapped more than 300 schoolgirls in Jangebe, a village in Zamfara state, northwest Nigeria, on February 27, 2021. More than 300 schoolgirls grabbed medium weapons in the north. Zamfara state on February 26, in the third known mass kidnapping of students since December. (Photo: KOLA SULAIMON/AFP via Getty Images)
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It has been more than a decade since Boko Haram kidnapped 276 girls from a school in Chibok, Borno, in April 2014. The kidnapping received international attention, with the hashtag #BringBackOurGirl being shared worldwide, including by Michelle Obama. While the issue has long since disappeared from the public domain, around 90 girls are still missing. Furthermore, the abduction of Chibok girls was not the first nor the last such crime to be committed in Nigeria. Scores of schools have since been targeted, with girls abducted, raped, killed or forced into ‘marriages’.
Last week, hundreds of students were kidnapped in a new wave of such attacks. On November 17, 2025, a Government Girls Comprehensive High School in Maga, Kebbi State, Northwestern Nigeria was attacked, killing the Vice Principal of the school and some 25 students were kidnapped. According to information, one of the abducted girls managed to escape. It didn’t stop there. On November 21, 2025, some 303 students and 12 teachers were kidnapped by gunmen from St. Mary in Papiri, Niger State, Nigeria. The students are said to be 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 the missing.
No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attacks. However, they are strikingly similar 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, geographical and vary greatly in scale. The group is based in north-eastern Nigeria, but also operates in neighboring countries. Their crimes mainly target 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 more. Besides the Chibok girls, Boko Haram has kidnapped thousands more over the years, with the crimes receiving very little attention, let alone answers.
Whether Boko Haram or other terrorist groups, the new wave of attacks shows Nigeria’s lack of preparedness for such actions. Indeed, a UNICEF reportreleased in 2024 to mark 10 years since the Chibok abductions, found that only 37% of schools 10 states have early warning systems to detect threats, including violence and armed attacks. Among others, the report revealed that Kaduna and Sokoto states are lagging behind significantly, with fulfillment rates of just 25% and 26%, respectively.
The findings are particularly disturbing, as in last ten yearsconflict-related violence has led to the abduction of more than 1,680 children while at school and elsewhere. About 180 children were killed in school attacks. In addition, an estimated 60 school staff members were kidnapped and 14 killed. This violence affects children’s learning, with children afraid to return to school and schools being closed due to attacks.
UNICEF Nigeria has called on government, partners and the international community to take decisive action to ensure that all schools in all states have the resources and tools to fully implement the Minimum Standards for Safe Schools, focusing on the most vulnerable areas. He also called for enhanced law enforcement and security measures to protect educational institutions and communities from attacks and kidnappings, among others. However, equity, justice and accountability must prevail. All such attacks must be investigated and those responsible held accountable. However, little is known about whether such investigations are conducted and whether they have resulted in effective prosecutions and convictions. Boko Haram atrocities are also under her investigation International Criminal Court; however, without progress in the last five years. Abductions from schools across Nigeria require urgent and comprehensive responses never seen before. Inaction cannot be excused.
