Plan International Nigeria has strongly condemned the growing wave of assaults on schools, warning that the attacks are undermining the nation’s educational system and exposing children to heightened danger.
In a statement issued on Saturday in Abuja by the organisation’s Brand and Communications Manager, Ms. Munachi Okoro, the group expressed deep concern over the abduction of pupils from St. Mary’s Catholic School in Niger State on Friday.
The organisation urged government bodies and security agencies to take decisive and immediate steps to safeguard children’s right to learn in a safe environment.
According to available reports, an unspecified number of students and staff of St. Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri, Agwara Local Government Area of Niger State, were seized by armed men in the early hours of Friday. The attack occurred less than a week after another group of schoolgirls were kidnapped in Kebbi State.
Country Director of Plan International Nigeria, Dr. Charles Usie, said in the statement that Nigeria could no longer afford to remain passive while children were forcefully taken from their classrooms without any assurance of safety.
Usie stressed that the pursuit of education must never become a life-threatening venture, insisting that schools should be centres of knowledge, not breeding grounds for fear.
“It is distressing that children and educators continue to be exposed to unsafe learning environments where armed non-state actors can abduct them with impunity.
“Every child deserves access to education in an environment where his/her safety, dignity and future are protected,” he said.
He emphasised that authorities must rise to their duty of shielding Nigerian children, ensuring their right to learn, and guaranteeing their safety as they work toward achieving a meaningful and dignified future.
Usie lamented that despite Nigeria signing the Safe Schools Declaration (SSD) a decade ago and ratifying it six years earlier, the protection systems required to keep schools safe remain grossly inadequate.
“This latest abduction occurring so soon after the Kebbi incident underscores the persistent inadequacies of the protection systems.
“If the safety of our children is not guaranteed, then the future of this country is in jeopardy.
“Nigeria must demonstrate stronger political will to uphold the right to education because in failing to protect children, we are failing our nation,” he stated.
He called on the Federal Government to treat these incidents as a matter of urgent national importance and act in accordance with Section 14(2)(b) of the 1999 Constitution, which prioritises the security and welfare of citizens.
“We reaffirm our commitment to standing with children, especially girls, across Nigeria advocating for their safety, education and future.
“We cannot afford to normalise the abduction of children who simply want to learn. Schools must be safe spaces, not zones of fear,” he added.
Plan International is a humanitarian and development organisation committed to promoting children’s rights and advancing equality for girls.
