Amnesty International has raised fresh concern over the fate of 42 schoolchildren abducted in Borno State, saying Nigeria is failing to protect its children from growing insecurity.
The rights organisation said Friday that it has been 153 days since the children from Askira Uba Local Government Area were kidnapped by gunmen on May 15, 2026.
It said more people have been abducted across northern Nigeria since the incident.
“No child should go through what children are going through now in Nigeria. Education should not be a matter of life and death for anyone. Nigeria is failing children once again in a horrifying manner,” Amnesty International said in a post on X.
The organisation also expressed concern over the future of thousands of schoolchildren in northern Nigeria.
It said hundreds of schools in some states have been closed indefinitely because of worsening insecurity.
According to Amnesty International, many children have abandoned their education after suffering psychological trauma from violent attacks or surviving captivity.
The organisation called on the Nigerian government to intensify efforts to rescue all schoolchildren still being held by armed groups.
“Government of Nigeria must do more to safely and securely rescue all school children in captivity. Suspected perpetrators must be held to account,” it said.
School abductions have remained one of the biggest security challenges facing northern Nigeria in recent years, with attacks forcing many schools to shut down and leaving thousands of children out of classrooms.
Rights groups and education advocates have repeatedly warned that continued attacks on schools are threatening children’s right to education and putting the future of many communities at risk.
