EDUCATION
By Timothy Ali Samuel
It has been more than a decade since the world woke up to the haunting cries of “Bring Back Our Girls.” Yet, eleven years later, the nightmare that began in Chibok has not ended—it has only changed names and locations. From Chibok to Dapchi, from Kankara to Kuriga, and now from Maga to Papiri, the story remains the same: Nigerian children are being taken away from their classrooms, their innocence shattered, and their families plunged into endless grief.
The recent abductions of over 315 students and teachers from St Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools in Papiri, Niger State, and 25 school girls from Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, Kebbi State, are grim reminders that Nigeria is still a nation at war with itself—a war fought not with fear, but with pain. These attacks have once again forced schools to shut down across states like Niger, Katsina, and Plateau, pushing thousands of children out of classrooms. The question now is: how much longer will this continue before we say “enough”?
Behind every statistic is the story of a crying mother, a sleepless father, and a child who just wanted to learn. In Papiri, parents still sit by the roadside, clutching photographs of their missing children, staring into the horizon for a miracle that will never come. In Maga, grief has become a constant visitor; the death of Vice Principal Mallam Hassan Makuku, who died while defending his students, has left the community broken. These children are not just numbers; they are dreams stolen.
Since the abduction of 276 Chibok girls in 2014, Nigeria has witnessed at least 1,800 student kidnappings. Eleven years later, nearly 90 Chibok girls are still missing. The government has launched initiatives like the Safe Schools Initiative and the Safe Schools Declaration, yet 80% of schools remain unsafe. Billions have been spent, yet little has changed. Negotiating with bandits has only emboldened criminals, creating a cycle of violence that never ends.
Every administration has promised to “bring back our girls.” Yet, with each new abduction, that promise fades. Teachers teach in fear, parents send their children to school with anxiety, and the nation continues to lose its future. Survivors who return often face trauma, stigma, and a lack of support, leaving them to rebuild their lives alone.
Nigeria must act decisively. Security around schools must be restructured and strengthened. Terrorists must be confronted, not negotiated with. Survivors and their families need psychosocial support. Leaders must be held accountable for every failure that puts Nigerian children at risk.
For eleven long years, Nigeria has been mourning its children. This is not just an issue of insecurity, it is a leadership issue, a moral issue, and a national emergency. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu must act now. The world is watching, and history will judge the decisions made today.
The time to end this cycle of abductions is now. The time to bring back all our girls and boys is now.