Senate President Ahmad Lawan recently scored the bull’s eye at the first solo exhibition of paintings and photographs by Stephen Binos, son of Senator Binos Dauda Yaroe, representing Adamawa South in the National Assembly.
There, he highlighted the negative impact of persistent attacks on schools and kidnapping of school children. At times, such attacks involve kidnapping teachers, non-academic workers too. And in extreme cases, killing of security guards in such schools in the Northern part of the country. Lawan noted that the development was depriving school children of proper education, particularly, the girl-child.
Lawan did not say anything esoteric. He merely stated the obvious. Today in the North, many schools have been closed, especially in states that have borne the brunt of the vicious attacks on institutions of learning.
As it stands today, there is hardly any bigger threat to education in Northern Nigeria than the deadly affliction of abduction or kidnapping of school children for ransom.
“In northern Nigeria, education has always been a problem and it is making it worse with this kind of abduction of students, either in Islamiya schools or normal secondary schools or even in tertiary institutions like it happened in Afaka in Kaduna State, and I believe we should continue to fight this kind of insurgency and banditry for us to restore normalcy in our country for our country to make progress,” Lawan said.
“It is a challenge, but I believe that it is for all of us – the Federal, States and, of course, the Local Government and all the communities and ethnic groups across the country. This is a situation that needs all hands on deck regardless of what you believe in. It is a very sad development that our education is suffering with so much kidnapping of school children, especially, the girl child,” he added.
Since the unforgettable ugly night of 14th –15th April, 2014, when about 276 female students, aged between 16 and 18, were kidnapped by the terrorist group, Boko Haram, from Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, this evil enterprise has grown dangerously like cancer, ravaging every healthy spore, as it were, in different communities across the North.
It is like the kidnappers who have been nicknamed bandits are out to give effect to the Boko Haram manual that “Western Education is a sin”.
This year alone, abduction has taken place in about 10 schools in the region. It seems to be the latest fad of criminal elements in the region. These abductions usually come with heavy financial burden to parents, guardians and government. And worse still, they come with much pain, agony and psychological trauma, for the abducted students, the parents, school authorities and the various governments.
In February 2021, for instance, about 300 schoolgirls were abducted from their boarding school in Jangebe, Zamfara State, by those described as unidentified gunmen.
“Since the unforgettable ugly night of 14th –15th April, 2014, when about 276 female students, aged between 16 and 18, were kidnapped by the terrorist group, Boko Haram, from Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, this evil enterprise has grown dangerously like cancer, ravaging every healthy spore, as it were, in different communities across the North”
President Muhammadu Buhari responded to the mass abduction by condemning it as “inhumane and totally unacceptable”. He was to add in a statement that “this administration will not succumb to blackmail by bandits who target innocent school students in the expectations of huge ransom payments.”
In April, the gunmen stormed Greenfield University, Kaduna, and kidnapped about 20 students, killing a member of staff in the process. To enforce their demands from families and the government, four or five students were callously and merciless executed a few days later.
In May of this same year, armed gang abducted dozens of students from an Islamic school in Niger State. The abduction came just a day after the remaining students of the Greenfield University were freed, having spent 40 days in captivity and their parents made to part with heavy ransom. It must be noted that most of the victims of kidnap have been students in boarding schools.
The forests in Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna and Niger states are particularly notorious as hideout for these criminal gangs.
The direct consequence of this act of abduction is the shutting down of schools. Schools estimated to be in the region of 500 have remained closed in six northern states, particularly in the North West in the last one year, according to reports. This was to forestall further attacks and abductions of pupils and members of staff. The six states are reportedly Sokoto, Zamfara, Kano, Katsina, Niger and Yobe.
The question that should engage the attention of government at all levels, parents, civil society organisations and other stakeholders is: what does the future hold for our children when they cannot access quality education in a conducive and friendly environment?
Without a doubt, except something is done urgently to reverse the trend, the products of the present system tomorrow will not in any way be better than half-baked bread. The prospect of churning out young men and women, who are no better than those who engineered their half illiterate persona, is simply frightening.
It is for this reason that all stakeholders must pull together and heed the call by Lawan, that all hands must be on deck regardless of what anyone believes in. Not to collectively fight this menace now is to arm the enemy of the country’s future.
