By Mukhtar Ajelogbon
Nigeria has recorded abductions of not less than one-thousand-and-fifty-seven students of secondary and tertiary institutions, by suspected bandits and Boko Haram members between December 2020 and the first week of July, 2021.
Findings showed that abductions were carried out in different states across the country. During the period under review, abductions were recorded in Ohordua in Edo State; Effurun in Delta State; Kankara, Afaka and Bethel, all in Kaduna State; as well as Mahuta village in Katsina State.
Other places where cases of abduction were recorded are Kagara in Niger State and Jangebe in Zamfara State; among others.
These have caused a lot of damages in the Nigerian education sector as out-of-school children have increased, due to mental effect on students and parents, while economic setbacks in the affected communities will surely affect the number of educated elites the country will produce in the years ahead.
Some parents whose children were victims of kidnapping have vowed not to allow their children return to school, while some have decided to withdraw their children from school because of the security situation in the country. Many students have been discouraged to further their education as some are still in captivity of their abductors, and parents are skeptical about the government’s readiness to fight banditry, most especially in the northern part of Nigeria.
Some Nigerian security experts have recommended way out of the kidnapping in schools, such as Nnamdi Chife, who advised President Muhammadu Buhari to resuscitate the Safe School Initiative, signed as a security strategy by the Goodluck Jonathan administration which was meant to provide comprehensive security for the schools that were under attack by Boko Haram.
Another expert, Olalekan Ojo, said that School abduction is becoming worrisome and there is need for a national security summit on the issue. A national security summit will involve school owners, security experts and other stakeholders to tackle the challenges, adding that if nothing urgent was done, the number of out-of-school children in the country could increase to about 30 percent of the student population.
On the government’s side, the Director of Press, Ministry of Education, Bem Goong, said that the Federal Government was working hard to ensure that schools were safe, while some State Governments closed down boarding schools over insecurity. Zanfara state government for instance constituted a committee to look into the possibility of reopening the boarding schools that are not prone to attacks by bandits, while the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) recently promised to deploy female officers to secure schools across Nigeria.
This commentary is therefore calling on the various stakeholders in the country to swing into action on school kidnapping, to curb the increase in out-of-school children in Nigeria. We should all think of the effect it has on the country’s education sector as the only valid legacy to leave behind for our children is EDUCATION if we really want NIGERIA to rise again.
