Amnesty International Nigeria has warned that the continued inability of authorities to prevent recurring mass abductions of schoolchildren and teachers in northern Nigeria is putting an entire generation at risk of losing access to education.
In a detailed statement issued on 25 November 2025, the human rights organisation raised alarm over the indefinite closure of 20,468 schools across seven states following last week’s mass abduction in Niger State. The closures, Amnesty said, have further deepened an already critical education emergency.
According to the organisation, at least 15 mass abductions of schoolchildren have occurred since the 2014 kidnapping of the Chibok girls, highlighting the government’s persistent failure to protect children, teachers and schools from attacks. It noted that authorities have repeatedly failed to ensure justice or accountability for previous abductions.
“What we are witnessing right now in the northern part of Nigeria is an assault on childhood and an utter failure to guarantee the safety and security of schoolchildren and teachers,” said Isa Sanusi, Director of Amnesty International Nigeria. “Hundreds of towns and villages have for years endured frequent attacks by gunmen.”
Sanusi said the government is falling short of its constitutional and international obligations to protect life and ensure security. He warned that the fear of abduction has driven millions of children out of school, with young girls particularly vulnerable to forced early marriage as a perceived means of protection.
Amnesty criticised the recurring lack of transparency and accountability after each major abduction, noting that victims and their families are denied justice, while allegations of covert ransom payments persist. It cited recent abductions—including last week’s kidnapping of more than 300 students and staff from St. Mary’s School in Papiri, Niger State—as evidence of widening security lapses. The Catholic Archdiocese of Kontagora, which runs the school, recently refuted government claims that security alerts were ignored.
Amnesty’s investigations indicate that the abduction of 25 schoolgirls from Maga in Kebbi State on 17 November also occurred despite earlier intelligence warnings.
State governments across Bauchi, Benue, Kwara, Plateau, Niger, Yobe and Katsina have now shut schools in a bid to prevent further attacks. While acknowledging the short-term benefits, Amnesty warned that prolonged closures have devastating long-term consequences, noting that some schools closed in 2021 were never reopened and students were not offered alternative learning options.
“Many schools closed to prevent abductions remain shut indefinitely because security is not improving,” Sanusi said. “As a result, thousands of children are forced into work to support their families.”
The organisation urged Nigerian authorities to invest more in education, strengthen school safety measures, end violent attacks on rural communities, and fulfil their legal obligations under the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child.
Amnesty called for prompt, independent and transparent investigations into all mass school abductions since April 2014, as well as justice and effective remedies for victims and their families.
“The authorities must use the maximum available resources to ensure children can learn in safety and remain in school,” Sanusi added.
