Boko Haram terrorists abducted over 400 people including women and children in Borno State, north-east Nigeria, this week, Amnesty International (AI) said on Friday.
President Bola Tinubu on Friday confirmed the abduction but did not specify the number of victims.
According to AI, the victims are Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) from Babban Sansani, Zulum and Arabic IDP camps in Gamboru Ngala, Borno State.
The Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum, said on Thursday that the government is yet to ascertain the actual number of the abducted persons, according to HumAngle.
The mass kidnap occurred in the same week that terrorists abducted over 200 pupils from a public school in Kaduna State, north-west Nigeria.
“The latest mass abductions clearly show President Bola Tinubu and his government have no effective plan for ending years of atrocities by armed groups and gunmen that are increasingly having a free reign across many parts of Nigeria. Whatever security measures being implemented by President Tinubu and his government are clearly not working,” said Isa Sanusi, the director of Amnesty International Nigeria.
PREMIUM TIMES reported that President Tinubu on Friday condemned the Borno abduction as well as that of the Kaduna pupils. He directed security agencies to ensure the release of the victims.
The Borno Kidnap
The Borno abductions took place in different IDP camps in the Gamboru Ngala part of the state, one of the least secure parts of the troubled Borno State.
There were reports that an unknown number of IDPs were abducted on their way to fetch firewood in the forest by suspected Boko Haram members.
Speaking about the abduction on Thursday, the Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum, said the government is yet to ascertain the actual number of the abducted persons and cautioned about the figures being cited, according to HumAngle.
However, Amnesty International said in its statement that over 400 persons were kidnapped.
It stated that the Borno abduction and Thursday’s abduction of 287 students and teachers in Kuriga, Kaduna State show the Nigerian authorities’ ‘persistent failure’ to protect people from attacks by armed groups that have killed thousands of Nigerians in the last five years.
While condemning the mass abductions which appear to be resurging after a few months’ break, the rights organisation asked the Nigerian government to take all necessary measures to ensure the safe return of all abducted persons.
The group also decried the rising level of insecurity, noting it shows that protecting lives and properties is not a top priority of the government.
Amnesty International also said those with command responsibilities for security in the areas where the abductions took place should be held to account “for the glaring failures that have put lives of hundreds of people in danger.”
“Authorities must also promptly, thoroughly, impartially, independently, effectively, and transparently investigate the recurring cases of abductions in many parts of the country, make public the findings of any investigation and ensure that the suspected perpetrators are brought to justice in fair trials,” it said.
“People should not be left to live in fear of the next attack or abduction. The Nigerian authorities’ consistent failure to protect people is completely unacceptable and must end.”
Mass abductions in Nigeria
Starting from Boko Haram’s kidnapping of 276 schoolgirls from Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok in 2014, Nigeria has witnessed several mass kidnappings, particularly in the troubled north-east where Boko Haram terrorists are active and the north-west where banditry is rife.
In 2018, Boko Haram terrorists kidnapped 110 schoolgirls from the Government Girls’ Science and Technical College, Dapchi, Yobe State, north-east Nigeria.
In the North-west, terrorists staged mass kidnappings in Kankara, Katsina State, where more than 300 schoolboys were kidnapped in 2020.
In 2021, terrorists also stormed Government Science School, Kagara, Niger State, north-central Nigeria, and abducted scores of students.
Similar abductions also occurred in Government Girls Secondary School Kangebe, Zamfara State and Federal Government College, Birnin Yauri, Kebbi State in 2021.
Amnesty International knocked the Nigerian government for failing to effectively investigate the kidnappings and prosecute perpetrators.
“In addition, authorities have failed to put in place security plans for schools in vulnerable areas despite the abduction of hundreds of schoolchildren,” it said.
“These failures have triggered a decline in school enrollment in a major setback for girls’ education. Nigerian authorities must ensure a safe learning environment for children and address the risks of new abductions in the country.
“Amnesty International is urging the Nigerian authorities to comply with the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, to which the country is a state party. Children have the right to protection and education. Authorities must take immediate and concrete measures to prevent abductions that are gradually becoming the norm in Nigeria.”
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