Hello everyone and thanks for joining us. Our topic today is ‘How raids by insurgents on schools threaten education’.
Raids and the abduction of schoolchildren by insurgents has become common in Nigeria. They began in the northeast region on February 25 2014 in Yobe State when 59 schoolboys at the Federal Government College were killed. This was followed by the abduction of 276 Chibok schoolgirls in Borno State and 110 Dapchi schoolgirls in Yobe State. Recently, there have been many more raids and abductions, including those of 300 schoolboys at Kankara in Katsina State, 42 pupils and teachers at Kagara in Niger State, 317 schoolgirls at Jangebe in Zamfara State and 35 female students at the Federal College of Forestry Mechanisation in Kaduna state.
According to UNICEF, more than 1,000 schoolchildren have been kidnapped since December last year.
Why are school children being targeted? Are the authorities doing enough to prevent future abductions? If not tackled by the government, how will the abductions affect the future of education?
Our guests are:
1) Christantus Lapang, a national conflict analyst;
2) Bulama Abiso, the chairman of the Nigeria Union of Teachers;
3) Umar Goni, a senior lecturer in the education department of the University of Maiduguri.