No child should suffer what children are facing in Nigeria – Amnesty on abducted schoolchildren

Amnesty International Nigeria has called on the Nigerian government to intensify efforts to rescue 42 schoolchildren abducted in Askira Uba Local Government Area of Borno State.

The organisation made the call in a post on X on Wednesday, saying it had been 144 days since the children were abducted by gunmen on May 15, 2026.

Amnesty said the incident was part of a wider pattern of abductions affecting communities across northern Nigeria, warning that the continued insecurity was putting the education and future of thousands of children at risk.

“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,” the organisation said.

It also expressed concern over the closure of hundreds of schools in some northern states due to escalating insecurity.

According to Amnesty, many children have been forced to abandon their education after experiencing violent attacks or spending time in captivity, leaving them with psychological trauma.

“The future of thousands of school children in Northern Nigeria remains bleak as hundreds of schools in some states have been closed indefinitely due to rising insecurity,” it said.

The organisation urged the government to take stronger measures to secure the safe rescue of all schoolchildren still being held captive.

It also called on authorities to identify and prosecute those suspected of carrying out the abductions.