Nigeria: Fresh abduction is a sign that impunity reigns

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Responding to the abduction of at least 60 people by gunmen in Buda, in the state of Kaduna, Isa Sanusi, Director of Amnesty International Nigeria, said:

“Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu and his government must urgently address the country’s spate of abductions targeting children in schools and internally displaced persons (IDPs) camps in the northern part of the country. In the last ten days, nearly 700 people have been abducted by gunmen in Borno, Kaduna and Sokoto. Amnesty International receives almost daily reports of abductions including in Zamfara, Katsina and Niger states. The abductions and attacks are forcing many parents into keeping their children out of schools.

“The consistent failure of the Nigerian authorities to stem the tide of abductions targeting children and schools means that a generation of children could miss out on education, as fear of abductions compel authorities to close hundreds of schools while teachers are abandoning their rural posts.

“Time is running out for the authorities to effectively perform its legal responsibility of protecting people’s lives and security and to secure the safe release of hundreds of people held in captivity by gunmen. The inability of the Nigerian authorities to bring the perpetrators of these  abductions to justice is further emboldening impunity and putting lives at greater risk.

“Amnesty International has documented at least 17 cases of abductions in less than a decade and in many cases the authorities’ failure to act and security lapses made it easier for gunmen to storm schools and abduct children. The Tinubu government must move swiftly to make the security and safety of everyone in the country a public policy priority”

Background

On 3 March 2024, suspected Boko Haram fighters abducted at least 400 Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) – most of them women and children – from Babban Sansani, Zulum and Arabic IDP camps in Gamboru Ngala, Borno state. On 7 March, at least 287 students and their teachers were abducted by gunmen in Kuriga Kaduna state. Hundreds of attackers arrived at the school on motorcycles before seizing students and teachers and taking them into the bush. On 9 March, 15 students at an Islamic school were abducted by gunmen who have made demands for ransom.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Amnesty International.