Security threats are affecting educational institutions and families in Borno State in northeastern Nigeria. Only 56 of the 113 primary schools in the Askira-Uba Local Government Area are able to provide education, while at least 57 schools are not operating.
Askira-Uba Education Secretary Fasuma Askira said the school closures were caused by security problems in the area. About 80 students abducted in attacks on schools are believed to remain in captivity.
Attacks in Mussa and Lassa
On May 15, armed attackers entered Mussa Central Primary School and abducted a large number of children. While different figures have been given for the number of abducted students, the Borno State Government later put the number of missing students at approximately 44.
Lassa Government Day Secondary School was also attacked on June 29 while students were taking the National Examinations Council examination. Some students were rescued after the attack, but 36 students and a teacher were abducted.
When the Borno State Government’s figure of approximately 44 people abducted in Mussa is considered together with the 36 students abducted in Lassa, the number of students held captive is estimated at about 80.
Families await information about rescue efforts
As of August 31, the children abducted in Mussa had been held captive for 108 days, while the students in Lassa had been held for 63 days. Simon Waindu, the father of one of the students abducted in Lassa, said that none of the children had returned and that families had not been given information about rescue efforts.
Schools have been closed in settlements where the security threat continues. The deployment of local volunteer security teams around schools has been proposed if education resumes, while soldiers have been deployed alongside local security teams in Mussa and Lassa.
Civilians and educational institutions face threats from armed groups
In June, another incident occurred in which six women and two infants were abducted near the school attacks. The incident took place immediately after the attack on the school in Lassa during the examination.
For more than a decade, states in northeastern Nigeria have faced armed attacks, abductions and displacement. Armed groups including Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province have been linked to attacks and abductions in the region.
The captivity of students and the closure of schools are deepening concerns about the future of education in communities already strained by conflict, displacement and poverty.
