Amnesty International Nigeria has called on the Nigerian authorities to ensure the safe and effective rescue of 15 Islamic school pupils abducted when gunmen invaded Tungan-Bako village in Rafi Local Government Area of Niger State on October 31, 2026.
The gunmen also abducted people working on a farm during the attack.
In a post on Facebook on Thursday, Amnesty International Nigeria said those abducted are frequently subjected to torture, starvation, amputation, rape, forced to witness or commit atrocities.
“Many of the communities affected by the abductions have for years also endured frequent attacks by gunmen,” the organisation said.
It warned that the possibility or fear of abduction is forcing thousands of children to abandon education, while underaged girls are having their education terminated and forced into marriage as a means of avoiding abduction at school.
“This is a devastating blow to years of efforts to boost enrollment in schools in the educationally disadvantaged parts of northern Nigeria,” Amnesty said.
The organisation said consistent failure of the authorities to promote and ensure the security and safety of the population constitutes a serious breach of their human rights obligations, including under the Nigerian Constitution and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights to which Nigeria is a state party.
