Crime
Insecurity: Over 615 schools shut in Kaduna, Zamfara, others
Many northern states have come under attack by terrorists with many people, including children, killed and several others kidnapped. The most hit states are Kaduna, Zamfara, Katsina and Niger, while Sokoto, Kebbi, Bauchi, Plateau and Taraba states have not been spared by the attackers.
The disturbing rate of out-of-school children came to the fore again on Thursday when a report by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, in partnership with Global Education Monitoring Report, showed that the number of out-of-school children in Nigeria had risen to 20 million from about 12.5 million recorded in 2021.
This has sparked calls for an urgent intervention by the government to arrest the situation so that the pupils can return to school.
Findings indicated that many schools were shut across the affected northern states.
Some of the major school abductions include the April 14, 2014 kidnap of 276 schoolgirls in Chibok, Borno State; another 300 pupils from Damasak, Borno State; 110 pupils from Dapchi, Yobe State; 344 pupils from Kankara, Katsina State; 276 pupils from Jangebe, Zamfara State; 140 students from Chikun in Kaduna State; and 102 pupils from Yauri, Kebbi State.
In Kaduna State, the Southern Kaduna Peoples Union, which is an umbrella body for the people of Southern Kaduna, an area severely hit by insecurity, said about 500 schools, mostly primary schools, had either been shut down, abandoned or destroyed as a result of the unrelenting attacks on communities in the area since 2019.
The union’s Public Relations Officer, Mr Luka Biniyat, in an interview with one of our correspondents said in all the 200 communities sacked by bandits and armed herdsmen in Southern Kaduna, all the primary and secondary schools had been closed.
“In my village, Zamandabo, Zangon Kataf Local Government Area, which was attacked twice last year, the Day Secondary School there and the two primary schools remain shut down,” he said, adding that some schools had been abandoned for over five years as a result of the attacks and kidnapping, especially in the Chikun and Kachia local government areas.
He added, “The villages that confronted the situation and refused to vacate soon found that no teacher was willing to go to the schools to teach. So, we have kids, who left home when they were five years old, which was not the ripe age for admission into public schools in Kaduna State.
“Today, they are 10 years old and have never been to school, because they have become internally displaced persons with their parents.”
Biniyat called on Governor Nasir El-Rufai to empower the people to defend themselves before the arrival of military troops during attacks, and that if the governor refuses, a state of emergency should be declared in the state.
“In the interim, we are calling on the United Nations Children’s Education Fund to come to the assistance of our stranded schoolchildren. Many of them are suffering from food and nutrition deficiency.”
Also, the Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Teachers in the state, Ibrahim Dalhatu, affirmed that the level of insecurity had grossly affected teaching and learning in the state, but that it was difficult to give the actual number of schools closed.
He said, “I cannot give you a specific number of schools that have been shut down now, even if you go to SUBEB (State Universal Basic Education Board) or the Kaduna State Ministry of Education, they cannot give you the exact number of schools that are closed.
“I know so many schools have been shut down and many primary school pupils can no longer go to school as a result of threats and insecurity. Birnin Gwari and Kajuru are the two most volatile local government areas that are worst hit by this banditry, and some parts of Giwa and Chikun local government areas are also affected too.
“Some of the schools were not totally shut down. Some schools closed down for some weeks, while others closed down for some months and reopened again. It all depends on the nature of the security problems.”
Dalhatu stated that the state government saw the NUT as its enemy, but that teachers were partners in progress, adding, “The government takes most of its decisions without consulting us until we make our own findings and put them out through the media before the government would react and ask us why we took such actions.”
He said insecurity and the COVID-19 pandemic had affected the sector and if the insecurity problem was not solved, “not only the educational sector will be affected, but all sectors in the state will grossly be affected.”
El-Rufai had said some weeks ago that terrorists had formed a parallel government in some parts of the state and called for the Federal Government’s intervention.
All calls and messages to the Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Mr Samuel Aruwan, to react were not answered.
PUNCH
The United States has said Nigeria has yet to make sufficient progress in addressing attacks on Christian communities, warning that the country’s designation as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) should remain in place.
Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Frank Garcia, stated this while responding to questions from US Congressman Riley Moore during a congressional hearing on violence in Nigeria on Thursday.
Moore questioned the Nigerian government’s efforts to dismantle militia strongholds and kidnapping camps in the Middle Belt, particularly in Benue and Plateau states.
He also demanded explanations for the exclusion of Benue and Plateau from the 10 states covered by Nigeria’s new forest guard initiative, despite persistent attacks in the areas.
The congressman further expressed concern that 1,000 presidentially approved forest guards for Plateau State had yet to be deployed.
Moore maintained that the US should not remove Nigeria from the CPC list, arguing that the country had not done enough to address the violence.
“Before you answer that, we cannot take this CPC designation off of this country. They have not done enough,” he said.
Responding, Garcia acknowledged that Nigeria had not made sufficient progress but maintained that the government was taking steps to address the concerns, although the measures had yet to produce the desired results.
“I think we would agree, as Under Secretary Hooker stated, after our CPC meeting that progress has not been there, but that doesn’t mean that Nigeria is dismissing concerns, and it doesn’t mean that they’re not taking actions, but it does mean that it hasn’t had an impact to this point,” Garcia said.
He identified the establishment of the US-Nigeria Joint Working Group as an important step towards ensuring accountability, noting that the platform would provide a framework for monitoring Nigeria’s commitments and assessing their implementation.
Garcia also acknowledged US-supported counterterrorism operations in the Lake Chad Basin but noted that such efforts had not necessarily addressed the activities of Fulani militants operating across the Middle Belt.
“I would have to characterise the Nigerians’ placement at this point as in building capacity. And that capacity is not deployed, is not being effective yet, and is not moving fast enough, as far as I’m concerned. But we do see a seriousness, and a deployment underway with the Nigerian government,” he said.
In his prepared testimony, Garcia said President Donald Trump’s administration had prioritised the persecution of Christians in Nigeria since the country was redesignated a Country of Particular Concern on October 31, 2025.
He noted that attacks had continued despite diplomatic engagements, citing an attack on a Christian community in Kaduna State on July 27 and killings in Plateau State in August and September.
“Unfortunately, the violence has not stopped,” Garcia said, describing the attacks as an ongoing atrocity.
According to him, the US-Nigeria Joint Working Group, which held its inaugural meeting in Abuja in January and another meeting in Washington in August, had been engaging the Nigerian government on improved security deployments in vulnerable Middle Belt communities, faster responses to early warnings and accountability for perpetrators.
He added that Washington had provided training and equipment to police units responsible for protecting vulnerable communities through its Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs.
The US had also expanded biometric information-sharing with Nigeria to help identify and prosecute perpetrators and engaged Nigerian financial institutions on measures to disrupt terrorist financing networks allegedly funding attacks on churches.
Garcia further disclosed that US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, Allison Hooker, had raised concerns about civilian casualties, the safe and voluntary return of internally displaced persons and transparency in humanitarian aid delivery during the Joint Working Group’s second meeting.
However, he acknowledged that Nigeria’s security architecture remained stretched, while judicial access to some parts of the Middle Belt remained limited.
Garcia said the US would continue to deploy diplomatic engagements, the CPC designation and targeted security cooperation to press for the protection of Christian communities and accountability for those responsible for attacks.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Federal Government has consistently rejected allegations of a Christian genocide or systematic religious persecution, maintaining that the country’s security challenges are driven by broader issues, including terrorism, banditry, communal violence and resource conflicts, which affect citizens of different religious backgrounds.
Couple Sentenced To Five Years In Prison Each For Attempting To Sell One-Year-Old So
A Nigerian couple have been sentenced to five years’ imprisonment each for attempting to sell their one-year-old son for exploitation in Cross River State.
The couple, identified as 28-year-old Emmanuel Okechukwu Ogbodo and 22-year-old Peace Ufeabuchi Nnamonu, were convicted by the Federal High Court in Calabar after pleading guilty to conspiracy and attempted child trafficking.
The convicts were sentenced on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, after they were arraigned on November 3, 2026, on a two-count charge bordering on conspiracy and attempted child trafficking.
The charges were brought under Sections 27 and 29 of the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act, 2015.
Delivering judgment, Justice Rosemary Dugbo Oghoghorie sentenced each defendant to five years’ imprisonment for conspiracy and two and a half years for attempted child trafficking.
However, the court ordered that the sentences should run concurrently, meaning the couple will each spend a total of five years in prison rather than serve the sentences consecutively.
The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), which announced the conviction in statements shared on its Facebook and X accounts, said the prison terms would take effect from the date of the couple’s arrest.
NAPTIP condemned the couple’s actions and reiterated its commitment to prosecuting human trafficking offences and protecting vulnerable persons, particularly children.
The agency also urged members of the public to report suspected cases of child trafficking to the appropriate authorities.
Six fresh graduates of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), have reportedly been found dead in an apartment around the Hilltop area of the university community in Enugu State.
The incident, which occurred on Thursday morning, has thrown the university community into mourning and sparked panic among residents and students.
According to a report by Daily Post, the victims, comprising five females and one male, were said to have graduated on Wednesday, a day before their bodies were discovered.
Their graduation celebration has reportedly turned into tragedy, with the circumstances surrounding their deaths yet to be established.
Efforts to reach the Enugu State Police Public Relations Officer, Daniel Ndukwe, for confirmation were unsuccessful, as calls put through to his telephone were not answered.
Meanwhile, anxiety has gripped the Hilltop area and the wider university community, with students and residents seeking answers over the tragic incident.
As of the time of filing this report, the police had yet to issue an official statement on the incident.
Security agencies have launched a manhunt for two convicted inmates who escaped from the Medium Security Custodial Centre in Okene, Kogi State.
The Nigerian Correctional Service confirmed the incident, which reportedly occurred on Sunday, November 8, 2026, saying efforts were underway in collaboration with other security agencies to recapture the fleeing inmates.
The Service’s Public Relations Officer, Chief Superintendent of Corrections Jane Osuji, disclosed this in a statement issued on Tuesday.
According to Osuji, the Controller-General of Corrections has ordered a comprehensive investigation into the incident to establish the circumstances surrounding the escape and identify any possible security breaches.
She explained that the investigation would examine potential lapses in the facility’s security arrangements and determine appropriate measures to prevent a recurrence.
The correctional authorities assured members of the public that all necessary steps were being taken to track down the escapees and return them to custody.
The Service also pledged to provide further updates as verified information emerges from the ongoing investigation.
The incident comes weeks after an awaiting-trial inmate escaped from the Medium Security Custodial Centre in Auchi, Edo State, where he was being held over allegations of conspiracy and stealing.
Saudi Arabia has executed five Ethiopian nationals convicted of smuggling hashish into the kingdom, bringing the number of executions carried out in the country this year to 205.
The Saudi Interior Ministry announced the executions on Thursday, November 5, 2026, saying the five men were found guilty of participating in the smuggling of hashish into the country.
According to a statement published by the official Saudi Press Agency, the executions were carried out in the Asir region in southwestern Saudi Arabia.
The latest executions bring to 32 the number of Ethiopian nationals put to death in Saudi Arabia in 2026, making Ethiopians the largest foreign nationality among those executed this year.
Five Ethiopians were reportedly executed in June, while another five were put to death in July over similar drug-related offences.
The latest development comes amid growing international concern over Saudi Arabia’s increasing use of capital punishment, particularly against foreign nationals convicted of drug-related offences.
Human Rights Watch (HRW), in a report published in July, warned that at least 79 Ethiopian nationals remained at imminent risk of execution over similar charges.
The rights organisation also raised concerns about alleged violations of fair trial guarantees, including inadequate access to legal representation and interpretation services for some Ethiopian migrants facing capital punishment.
Saudi Arabia recorded 356 executions in 2025, its highest annual figure on record.
Thousands of Ethiopians live and work in Saudi Arabia, many of whom migrate in search of employment through the dangerous Eastern Route connecting the Horn of Africa to the oil-rich kingdom through Yemen.
The route exposes migrants to serious security and humanitarian risks during their journey.
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