They went to school but ended up as hostages. 287 children are missing in Nigeria's forests
NewsdayMar 08
At Least 287 Nigerian Students Abducted From School by Gunmen
The Facts
Nigerian authorities have reported that a group of armed militants raided the Kuriga school in the country's north-western Kaduna State early Thursday. According to the school's headteacher the attackers kidnapped about 287 children.
Student abductions are common and have been a major problem in northern Nigeria since 2014, when armed groups began kidnapping schoolchildren, villages, and visitors for large ransoms. Uba Sani, the governor of Kaduna, visited the school following the attack.
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
Nigerian security services are currently conducting an extensive search and rescue operation in the nearby forests to find the nearly 300 abducted schoolchildren. The officials are certain that the victims will be retrieved, since this is the only acceptable outcome for the government and the waiting family members.
Establishment-critical narrative
The Nigerian government has neglected the people of the northwest. Abductions are only made possible due to a lack of security and ,in less than a week, extremist groups have abducted around 500 women and children. The government must do more to protect civilians, especially students, as militant groups in the northwest have ramped up their campaign of violence and kidnappings.
Nerd narrative
There is a 44% chance Nigeria will experience a successful coup d'etat before 2040, according to the Metaculus prediction community.