Education Under Attack in Nigeria

In April 2014, the abduction from a school in Chibok (Nigeria) made global headlines and sparked the #BringBackOurGirls movement and protests, which attracted public support from celebrities and public figures. However new data analysis by Save the Children reveals that attacks on schools have been since then continuing out the spotlight and highlights the violence that schoolchildren and teachers face across Nigeria.

The report highlights that:

• Since the Chibok girls’ abduction in 2014 through the end of last year, 1,683 learners have been kidnapped from schools in Nigeria.
• There had been 70 incidents of attacks on schools.
• Over 180 schoolchildren were killed and nearly 90 injured.
• An estimated 60 school staff were kidnapped and 14 killed.
• Out of the 276 girls abducted from Chibok over 9 years ago, more than 1/3 are still missing or being held.

The study shows that these attacks have long-lasting consequences for communities and for children’s access to education, often leading to the mass withdrawal of children from school and school closures. For example, in Katsina State alone, in the North-Western part of the country, nearly one hundred schools remain closed due to insecurity, affecting the education of thousands of children.