Amnesty International condemns Borno school attack, says FG failing to protect Nigerian children

Amnesty International Nigeria has condemned the attack on Government Day Secondary School in Lassa, Askira/Uba LGA of Borno, describing it as a gross violation of international humanitarian law.

Gunmen attacked the school on Monday while students were sitting the National Examinations Council (NECO) examination.

According to Amnesty International, an unspecified number of students were abducted during the attack, while two teachers and one student were killed.

The rights group said in a statement on Monday: “Schools should be places of safety, and no child should have to choose between their education and their life. The children abducted are at serious risk of being harmed. This is unacceptable and says a lot about the incompetence of government at all levels.”

The organisation said the federal government has a responsibility to protect children and prevent armed groups from targeting schools.

“The protection of children’s lives is paramount, and the Nigerian government has a duty to ensure that the country’s educational sector is not further threatened by armed groups on rampage across northern Nigeria,” it said.

Amnesty added that the attack would further undermine access to education in parts of northern Nigeria affected by insecurity.

“The attack on Government Day Secondary School Lassa is a gross violation of international humanitarian law, and it undermines the right to education for affected children and thousands in other parts of northern Nigeria.

“The abduction of students by armed groups can severely reduce the availability of and access to education for many children in northern Nigeria where violent attacks are escalating,” the group said.

The organisation said the continued attacks on schools and communities reflected the government’s failure to guarantee the safety of citizens.

“What we are witnessing right now in the northern part of Nigeria is an assault on childhood and an utter failure to guarantee the safety and security of school children and teachers.

“It is not only school children that are unsafe. Hundreds of towns and villages have for many years endured frequent attacks by gunmen,” the rights group lamented.