𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐬 𝐀𝐛𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚: 𝐀 𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐀𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚 𝐭𝐨 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐈𝐭𝐬 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡 The recent report (September 2025) by the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), damning for the Nigerian state, recalls that 91 of the 276 Chibok girls remain missing more than ten years after their abduction. Others who managed to escape have been abandoned by the state, receiving no rehabilitation or psychological support. But the tragedy appears to be continuing, escalating, and becoming part of a structural pattern. In just a few days in November 2025, hundreds of schoolchildren and teachers were abducted from educational institutions in the north and center of the country: • On November 17, armed men abducted 25 female students from Maga State High School (Kebbi State). According to pres!dential authorities, 24 have been released. • Four days later, on November 21, more than 300 people, including 303 students and 12 teachers, were abducted from a Catholic school in the village of Papiri, Niger State. To date, at least 50 students have escaped. Dozens remain missing, and families continue to search with little state support. These tragic events painfully revive the memory of Chibok (2014), but in a much more serious context: the phenomenon of mass abductions no longer appears to be sporadic, but systematic, affecting thousands of children, both boys and girls, across Nigeria. These repeated attacks, perpetrated by Boko Haram or other armed groups seeking ransom, influence, or territorial control, no longer threaten only Nigeria, but now have international repercussions: • They threaten the image of Nigeria and the African states concerned, highlighting the inability of some g0vernments to guarantee the safety of their most vulnerable citizens. • It undermines the trust of parents and communities in the school system, which is fundamental to national development. • It alerts the international community to the consequences of such chaos: instability, internal displacement, social trauma, and obstacles to education. If left unchecked, the regional impacts could be severe, spreading insecurity across borders. Beyond a humanitarian crisis, this is a geopolitical challenge for Africa, calling into question the responsibility of states towards their youth and the urgent need for a continental protection framework. Given the scale of the problem, isolated initiatives will no longer suffice. It is essential that African states recognize that the protection of youth is a national security priority as well as a development imperative. Failure to act collectively risks normalizing school abductions as a weapon of war and political leverage. 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐞𝐱𝐢𝐬𝐭: • Secure schools by designating them as priority protection zones, particularly in rural and peripheral areas. • Strengthen the equipment and training of local forces to respond quickly to attacks and ensure a deterrent presence. • Create community-based vigilance mechanisms, involving parents, teachers, local leaders, and administrative authorities. • Establish a genuine continental framework for child protection, enabling information sharing, coordinated interventions, and cross-border support. Such a framework should involve the African Union and regional bodies, with clear accountability mechanisms. • Develop psychosocial support and reintegration programs for survivors to combat stigma and exclusion. Protecting young people is no longer a p0litical choice; it is a vital necessity for the continent's future. Africa cannot afford for schools to become battlegrounds. The Nigerian crisis serves as a stark reminder that without security and education, no sustainable development is possible. The stakes are generational — and inaction today will shape the continent’s stability for decades to come. #panafricanism #nigeria #africa #sovereignty #eveilafricain

𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐬 𝐀𝐛𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚: 𝐀 𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐀𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚 𝐭𝐨 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐈𝐭𝐬 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡 The recent report (September 2025) by the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), damning for the Nigerian state, recalls that 91 of the 276 Chibok girls remain missing more than ten years after their abduction. Others who managed to escape have been abandoned by the state, receiving no rehabilitation or psychological support. But the tragedy appears to be continuing, escalating, and becoming part of a structural pattern. In just a few days in November 2025, hundreds of schoolchildren and teachers were abducted from educational institutions in the north and center of the country: • On November 17, armed men abducted 25 female students from Maga State High School (Kebbi State). According to pres!dential authorities, 24 have been released. • Four days later, on November 21, more than 300 people, including 303 students and 12 teachers, were abducted from a Catholic school in the village of Papiri, Niger State. To date, at least 50 students have escaped. Dozens remain missing, and families continue to search with little state support. These tragic events painfully revive the memory of Chibok (2014), but in a much more serious context: the phenomenon of mass abductions no longer appears to be sporadic, but systematic, affecting thousands of children, both boys and girls, across Nigeria. These repeated attacks, perpetrated by Boko Haram or other armed groups seeking ransom, influence, or territorial control, no longer threaten only Nigeria, but now have international repercussions: • They threaten the image of Nigeria and the African states concerned, highlighting the inability of some g0vernments to guarantee the safety of their most vulnerable citizens. • It undermines the trust of parents and communities in the school system, which is fundamental to national development. • It alerts the international community to the consequences of such chaos: instability, internal displacement, social trauma, and obstacles to education. If left unchecked, the regional impacts could be severe, spreading insecurity across borders. Beyond a humanitarian crisis, this is a geopolitical challenge for Africa, calling into question the responsibility of states towards their youth and the urgent need for a continental protection framework. Given the scale of the problem, isolated initiatives will no longer suffice. It is essential that African states recognize that the protection of youth is a national security priority as well as a development imperative. Failure to act collectively risks normalizing school abductions as a weapon of war and political leverage. 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐞𝐱𝐢𝐬𝐭: • Secure schools by designating them as priority protection zones, particularly in rural and peripheral areas. • Strengthen the equipment and training of local forces to respond quickly to attacks and ensure a deterrent presence. • Create community-based vigilance mechanisms, involving parents, teachers, local leaders, and administrative authorities. • Establish a genuine continental framework for child protection, enabling information sharing, coordinated interventions, and cross-border support. Such a framework should involve the African Union and regional bodies, with clear accountability mechanisms. • Develop psychosocial support and reintegration programs for survivors to combat stigma and exclusion. Protecting young people is no longer a p0litical choice; it is a vital necessity for the continent's future. Africa cannot afford for schools to become battlegrounds. The Nigerian crisis serves as a stark reminder that without security and education, no sustainable development is possible. The stakes are generational — and inaction today will shape the continent’s stability for decades to come. #panafricanism #nigeria #africa #sovereignty #eveilafricain