IA-Foundation Raises Alarm Over Terrorism Threatening Nigerian Schools: Hundreds Abducted in Recent Attacks
The concerns were highlighted following a recent incident in Kuriga, Kaduna State, where over 280 pupils and teachers were abducted by bandits from Government Secondary School and LEA Primary School. The attackers reportedly invaded the Kuriga area of the Chikun Local Government Area, shooting at their victims before forcibly taking them away.
AKACHI NOEL 
A Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), IA-Foundation, in conjunction with the group Peace and Social Justice, has raised alarm over the alarming rise in violence and terrorism targeting Nigerian schools.
The concerns were highlighted following a recent incident in Kuriga, Kaduna State, where over 280 pupils and teachers were abducted by bandits from Government Secondary School and LEA Primary School. The attackers reportedly invaded the Kuriga area of the Chikun Local Government Area, shooting at their victims before forcibly taking them away.
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IA-Foundation, a UK-based educational charity, and PSJ-UK, an advocacy NGO committed to peacebuilding and social justice in Nigeria, revealed these distressing realities in a report launched at the House of Parliament in London, United Kingdom.Founder of IA-Foundation, Ibironke Adeagbo, emphasized the critical role of education in national development but lamented that schools, once safe havens for learning, have now become targets of violence and terror. Adeagbo noted that Nigeria has witnessed an alarming escalation of insecurity within its education sector over the past decade, especially since the 2014 Chibok schoolgirl abduction.
Ayo Adedoyin, CEO of PSJ-UK, echoed these sentiments, pointing out that hundreds of innocent children across Nigeria have been abducted from primary and secondary schools annually since 2014. He described how children have become victims of a disturbing cycle of kidnapping and ransom demands, with many never returning and schools forced to close due to fear.
The report proposed recommendations aimed at safeguarding schools, restoring a sense of safety, and ensuring every child in Nigeria has the opportunity to learn and thrive.During the presentation, Wale Olaoye, CEO of Halogen Group, emphasized the strategic importance of education in preventing conflicts and promoting personal, political, and social transformation in Nigeria. He advocated for comprehensive and sustained integration of educational interventions throughout society to address emergent threats effectively.
The alarming trend of attacks on Nigerian schools underscores the urgent need for robust measures to protect educational institutions and ensure the safety of students and teachers across the country.
