The latest abduction has reopened a painful chapter in Nigeria’s modern history and reminded many citizens that attacks on schools have remained one of the country’s most troubling security challenges for more than a decade.
The crisis gained worldwide attention on April 14, 2014, when Boko Haram militants stormed Government Girls Secondary School in Chibok, Borno State, abducting 276 schoolgirls during the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan. At the time, Kashim Shettima served as governor of Borno State. The attack triggered international outrage and gave rise to the #BringBackOurGirls campaign, which attracted support from world leaders, celebrities, human rights organizations and millions of ordinary citizens across the globe.
Although some of the Chibok girls were later rescued or released, dozens remained missing for years, and the incident became a symbol of both the brutality of Boko Haram and the vulnerability of schools in conflict-affected areas. It also raised difficult questions about the government’s preparedness and response to security threats.
Many Nigerians hoped the Chibok tragedy would mark a turning point. Instead, attacks on schools continued. In February 2018, Boko Haram fighters abducted 110 schoolgirls from Government Girls Science and Technical College in Dapchi, Yobe State, during the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari. Most of the girls were later returned, but one student, Leah Sharibu, remained in captivity after reportedly refusing to renounce her Christian faith, making her case a global human rights issue.
The security landscape shifted again in late 2020 as armed bandit groups increasingly turned mass kidnappings into a profitable criminal enterprise. In December of that year, more than 300 students were abducted from a secondary school in Kankara, Katsina State, the home state of then-President Buhari. The incident shocked the nation and demonstrated that large-scale school kidnappings were no longer limited to the northeastern insurgency.
A wave of similar attacks followed. In February 2021, gunmen kidnapped hundreds of schoolgirls from Jangebe in Zamfara State. Weeks later, students were abducted from the Federal College of Forestry Mechanization in Afaka, Kaduna State. In May of the same year, dozens of pupils were seized from an Islamic school in Tegina, Niger State. Each incident generated public outrage, renewed promises of security reforms and raised concerns about the growing sophistication of criminal networks.
Over time, school kidnappings evolved from acts associated primarily with extremist insurgents into a broader national security problem involving bandits, armed gangs and organized criminal groups. Communities increasingly found themselves negotiating for the release of loved ones while governments faced criticism over their inability to prevent recurring attacks.
Education advocates warn that the long-term consequences extend far beyond the immediate trauma suffered by victims and their families. Repeated attacks have forced some schools to close temporarily, discouraged attendance in vulnerable communities and deepened fears among parents who view education as the pathway to a better future.
The latest abduction in Oyo has therefore struck a particularly sensitive nerve. Unlike many of the earlier high-profile school kidnappings concentrated in the northeast and northwest, the incident has fueled concerns that criminal networks may be expanding their reach into other parts of the country. For many protesters in Oyo and neighboring Ogun State, the attack is not simply another crime report. It represents a reminder of unresolved security failures that successive administrations from Goodluck Jonathan to Muhammadu Buhari and now Bola Tinubu have pledged to address.
More than a decade after Chibok became a global symbol of Nigeria’s security crisis, many citizens fear the country is still struggling to guarantee the safety of students and teachers. The protests in Oyo and Ogun reflect not only anger over the latest abduction but also frustration with years of recurring promises, repeated tragedies and lingering questions about how to protect schools from future attacks.
