Latest militant attacks on schools in Nigeria leave more than 80 children missing, officials say
ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Wave of militant attacks on schools Nigeria More than 80 children went missing last week, local officials and a human rights group said Sunday. School kidnappings in West African country where the government is fighting a number of jihadist and other armed groups.
Between Wednesday and Thursday, attackers targeted a primary school in conflict-torn Borno state, in Nigeria’s northeastern corner. Militants abducted 42 children in Askira Uba and Chibok districts.
Amnesty International said the attack took place in the village of Mussa, near the Sambisa Forest, a militant stronghold. Boko Haram and its Islamic State-affiliated splinter group known as the Islamic State-affiliated West Africa Province.
Two secondary schools in southwestern Oyo state were attacked within hours of each other across the country on Friday, abducting at least 40 children there, according to Amnesty International’s Nigeria branch. Such kidnappings are rare in this particular region.
The human rights group warned on Sunday that the threat of kidnapping was driving many children out of school, while underage girls were being pulled from classrooms and forced into marriage by parents seeking protection from school attacks.
Peter Wabba, a government official from Mussa, said he was told on Sunday that the “exact number” of children abducted in Oyo was 48.
“The government assures us that they are doing their best to save these children, but so far we are still waiting,” he told The Associated Press.
Amnesty International also said authorities “never fulfilled their promises to investigate the incidents and bring the perpetrators to justice.”
The statement said, “Victims and their families continue to be denied access to justice.”
On Saturday, police spokesman Ayanlade Olayinka told the AP that three gunmen were killed He was detained in connection with With the Oyo attack occurring in Oriire district, about 220 kilometers (135 miles) from Lagos city.
Olayinka said the suspects were identified by the community and arrested. Police did not say whether they were looking for more suspects.
Kidnapping of school-age children is a common occurrence in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, especially in the north of the country. Last year, two mass kidnappings from schools in the northern region shook the country, with more than 300 children kidnapped.
School kidnappings have become the definition of insecurity in Nigeria, and analysts say this is mostly because armed gangs see schools as strategic targets that they can exploit to attract more attention.
