Nigeria, armed group kidnaps students from school

Nigerian school kids learning in their classrooms Nigerian school kids learning in their classrooms Photo by Doug Linstedt on Unsplash.com

31 May 2021

Armed groups in Tegina have terrorized schoolchildren, kidnapping and holding them for ransom in an attempt to gain money

In the town of Tegina in the Nigerian state of Niger, an armed group abducted dozens of students at the Salihu Tanko Islamic school in hopes of holding the schoolchildren for ransom and reaping financial gain. Although approximately 200 children were in school at the time of the attack, the numbers of how many were taken remain uncertain, as many students had no documentation of their arrival at school. Eyewitness accounts claim that around 20-25 motorcycles arrived with heavily armed bandits and left with many of the schoolchildren. The attackers shot one person dead, while another was seriously injured.

Kidnappings in Nigeria have unfortunately been common, as armed gangs have been terrorizing civilians in northwest and central Nigeria by going so far as to loot villages, steal belongings, and even kidnap schoolchildren for ransom. Roughly 700 people have been abducted so far in 2021 alone, consisting mostly of schoolchildren. The driving motivation for this enterprise is money, as the Nigerian economy suffers significantly from unemployment and corruption, resulting in groups like these taking drastic measures to gain money. Additionally, the security forces who could protect these children from such kidnappings are underfunded and overwhelmed by the already troubling presence of groups like Boko Haram within the country. 

According to Al Jazeera, the response from the Nigerian government to kidnappings has been underwhelming for victims, as civilians often find that the punishments for such actions are not enough. Negotiations from the government to release the kidnapped children can sometimes include amnesty, resulting in a lack of accountability for those that perpetrate these attacks on innocent civilians. In dealing with the crime this way, armed groups are not discouraged from committing such attacks, since they know the punishment will likely be minor.

 

Sources:

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/5/31/dozens-kidnapped-from-islamic-school-in-northern-nigeria

https://www.aljazeera.com/program/start-here/2021/3/29/why-are-schoolchildren-being-kidnapped-in-nigeria-start-here

 

Author: Emily Herstine; Editor: Andrew Goodell

Read 559 times