Civil society coalition warns attacks on schools are becoming normalised across Nigeria
By Rejoice Peterside
The Civil Society Action Coalition on Education for All CSACEFA has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and governments at all levels to suspend June 12 Democracy Day celebrations if abducted school children and teachers are not rescued before the national event.
The coalition made the demand during a World Press Briefing held in Abuja on Monday, where it raised alarm over rising cases of school kidnappings and repeated attacks on education across Nigeria.
Speaking at the briefing, CSACEFA National Moderator and Board Chair, Peculiar Caleb, who is also President of the Africa Network Campaign on Education for All ANCEFA, described recent attacks in Oyo State, Borno State and other parts of the country as a direct assault on education, childhood and Nigeria’s future.
She said schools were gradually becoming “terror zones,” where children, teachers and parents now live in fear, trauma and uncertainty.
Caleb referenced the attack in Ahoro Esinele community in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, where at least 39 school children and seven teachers were reportedly abducted. She said victims included pupils from a secondary school and two primary schools, adding that one teacher was reportedly killed in captivity while security operatives were injured during rescue attempts.
She also cited another incident in Askira-Uba Local Government Area of Borno State, where suspected militants allegedly abducted 32 pupils from Mussa Primary and Junior Secondary School and 10 others from nearby homes.
“These incidents are not isolated. They form part of a growing pattern of attacks on education where children, teachers, parents and school communities are made targets of fear, violence and trauma,” Caleb said.
She lamented that despite Nigeria’s endorsement of the Safe Schools Declaration in 2019 and the National Policy on Safety, Security and Violence-Free Schools in 2021, attacks have continued with weak implementation and accountability.
Caleb warned that Nigeria’s global education credibility was at risk, noting that the country is expected to co-host the 2026 Global Partnership for Education replenishment campaign alongside Italy.
“Nigeria cannot stand on the global stage to mobilise education financing while, at home, children are being abducted from schools and parents are afraid to send children to classrooms,” she said.
She further recalled that since the 2014 abduction of 276 schoolgirls from Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, school kidnappings have persisted across several states including Kaduna, Katsina, Niger, Zamfara, Kebbi, Oyo and Borno.
CSACEFA said available records indicate that at least 1,900 students from about 20 schools have been abducted nationwide since 2014, while UNICEF estimates that about 10.5 million Nigerian children aged five to 14 remain out of school.
Caleb warned that continued attacks would deepen the out-of-school crisis, worsen trauma among children, and further erode public confidence in the education system.
“How many parents will allow their children back into classrooms if government cannot guarantee safety?” she asked.
She insisted that schools must remain safe spaces for learning, not sites of fear, abduction or violence, and urged against politicising or ethnicising attacks on education.
“A kidnapped child has no political party. A terrified parent has no ethnic colour. A closed school is a national wound,” she said.
Also speaking, CSACEFA Policy Adviser, Ahanonu Odinakachi, said Nigeria has signed several global and national agreements on school safety but implementation remains weak due to poor funding and coordination.
She noted that school safety cannot be achieved through statements alone, but requires investment in emergency preparedness, community protection systems and psychosocial support for victims.
Odinakachi called for improved funding for school fencing, early warning systems, safe transportation for pupils and stronger protection for schools in rural and conflict-prone areas.
She also highlighted the absence of a reliable national database on attacks against education, calling for urgent establishment of a verified reporting system.
“Nigeria urgently needs a verified national database documenting attacks on schools, teachers and learners across the country,” she said.
CSACEFA demanded the immediate, safe and unconditional release of all abducted children and teachers, alongside stronger intelligence gathering, coordinated security deployment and prosecution of perpetrators.
The coalition also urged stronger collaboration among federal, state and local governments, security agencies, traditional institutions and civil society organisations.
In its strongest warning, CSACEFA said if abducted children and teachers remain in captivity before June 12, governments should suspend Democracy Day celebrations and instead dedicate the day to national reflection.
“A nation cannot celebrate democracy while its children, teachers and toddlers are in the bush exposed to fear, violence, hunger and uncertainty,” the coalition stated.
It concluded by calling on President Tinubu, the National Assembly, the Federal Ministry of Education, state governors and security agencies to urgently rescue abducted victims and restore confidence in Nigeria’s education system.
“Rescue every abducted child, protect every teacher, secure every school and support every affected family. Nigeria must not allow the enemies of education to win,” CSACEFA said.
