Three more schoolgirls abducted by the Islamist militant group Boko Haram in northern Borno state more than nine years ago were rescued by the Nigerian military this month. In that 2014 incident, Boko Haram raided a public secondary school in the Chibok town and seized nearly three hundred students. Negotiations resulted in the release of many of the girls, but many more are being held captive.
According to authorities, more than 600 schools in Nigeria are still closed despite the start of the new school year because of a surge in kidnappings for ransom by armed gangs. Nigeria already has one of the highest rates of out-of-school children in the world, and according to the U.N., the problem has gotten worse
Women Activists In Nigeria Were In The Forefront Of Last Year’s Massive Rallies Against Police Brutality, But They Claim They Are Not Always Given The Same Credit As Their Male Counterparts
Following Accusations That Ransom Payments Were Made To Resolve A Spate Of Mass Kidnappings, Nigerian Lawmakers Are Ready To Vote On A Measure Criminalising Them. Families Of Kidnap Victims Have Spoken Out Against The Law, Which Would Impose Harsh Prison Sentences
In Nigeria, rising instability and communal violence seem to be strengthening separatist movements. The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) is one of these movements, advocating for an independent state in a region of Nigeria that attempted to secede more than 50 years ago
The Nigerian Chamber of Commerce has cautioned that rising levels of violence and kidnappings are deterring investors and causing economic damage
Boko Haram militants have terrorized northeastern Nigeria for more than a decade, driving what the United Nations says are more than two million people from their homes
Three years ago, Boko Haram abducted 110 girls from a school in Dapchi, Nigeria. One girl, Leah Sharibu, remains in captivity
Child advocates in Nigeria estimate that tens of thousands of young people have been orphaned by Boko Haram militant attacks. But some of them are finding reason to be hopeful about their future
Children who escape Boko Haram territory face a raft of violations by the Nigerian authorities, also including crimes under international law. At best, they end up displaced, struggling for survival and with little or no access to education. At worst, they are arbitrarily detained for years in military barracks, in conditions amounting to torture or other ill-treatment.