Amnesty International has issued a strong condemnation regarding a violent raid at Government Day Secondary School in Lassa, located in the Askira/Uba region of Borno State. Armed militants interrupted NECO examinations, resulting in the deaths of two educators and one student, while an undetermined number of pupils were taken captive.
The human rights organization characterized this event as a severe violation of a child’s right to schooling, insisting that educational institutions should be shielded from conflict. They asserted that students should never be forced to weigh their academic future against their personal survival.
Highlighting a concerning trend, the group noted it has recorded 13 separate instances of school kidnappings since 2023. They argue that this pattern stems from a systematic failure by the state to secure learning environments. Many schools across Northern Nigeria have been abandoned for years due to the persistent threat of violence.
The organization emphasized that the Nigerian government holds the primary responsibility to stop these armed groups from further destabilizing the region. By violating international humanitarian law, such attacks continue to erode access to schooling and inflict long-term damage on the future of children living in Northern Nigeria.
