A boy walks past people selling on the street in Kaduna, Nigeria, March. 8, 2024.Sunday Alamba/The Associated Press
What seemed like an aberration a decade ago when militants kidnapped 276 schoolgirls in Nigeria’s Chibok community has become a recurring horror in the country. Since then, the number of students abducted has risen to more than 1,400.
The kidnapping of more than 300 students in two incidents this week in northwestern Nigeria were the latest such attacks.
Here is a timeline of some prominent school kidnappings in Nigeria since 2014:
April 14, 2014 – Members of the Islamic militant group Boko Haram abduct 276 female students in a nighttime attack at a government secondary school in the Borno State town of Chibok, prompting international outrage. More than 90 of the students are still missing, Amnesty International says.
Feb. 19, 2018 – A Boko Haram faction abducts 110 schoolgirls from a girls’ science college in the Yobe State town of Dapchi in northeastern Nigeria. Nearly all were later released, but five of the girls were killed.
Dec. 11, 2020 – Gunmen on motorcycles attack a government science secondary school in the Katsina State town of Kankara and abduct more than 300 boys. The state government announced their release six days later, following negotiations. The mastermind of the attack, Auwwalu Daudawa, accepted a government amnesty deal but later returned to the bush where he was killed by a rival gang.
Feb. 17, 2021 – Gunmen wearing military fatigues attacked a science college in the Niger State town of Kagara at night and abducted 27 students, three staff members and others. Following what the state government described as negotiations, the abductees were released more than a week later.
Feb. 26, 2021 – Gunmen abduct more than 300 schoolgirls in a nighttime raid on a government secondary boarding school in the Zamfara State town of Jangebe. In early March of that year, all abductees were released after apparent payment of ransom.
March 11, 2021 – Gunmen abducted 39 students – 23 females and 16 males – from the Federal College of Forestry Mechanization in the Kaduna State town of Afaka. The students were released in batches between April and May.
April 20, 2021 – Armed men attacked the private Greenfield University in Kaduna State and abducted at least 20 students. Most were released, but five were killed apparently because ransom negotiations were taking too long.
July 5, 2021 – Gunmen kidnapped more than 100 students from the Bethel Baptist High School in the Chikun area of Kaduna State. Bandits released the students over the course of several months.
March 7, 2024 – Gunmen riding motorcycles kidnapped 287 students at the government secondary school in the Kaduna State town of Kuriga. Security forces searched forests in northwestern Nigeria for the latest victims.
March 9, 2024 – Armed men broke into a boarding school in Gidan Bakuso village in Sokoto State and seized 15 children as they slept. One woman also was abducted from the village, which also is in northwestern Nigeria.