School Kidnappings are crimes against humanity—says NSCIA

By Abubakar Yunus

The Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs has described the persistent kidnapping and murder of schoolchildren as crimes against humanity, saying the continued attacks on schools across the country represent a national disgrace that must be brought to an end.

The council stated this while condemning Monday’s terrorist attack on Government Day Secondary School, Lassa Town, in Askira Uba Local Government Area of Borno State.

The position was contained in a statement signed by the council’s Public Affairs Officer, Abbas Jimoh, and made available to journalists in Abuja on Thursday.

The NSCIA, under the leadership of its President-General, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, expressed profound outrage over the attack, during which a teacher was killed while scores of students and teachers were abducted.

It described the incident as another painful reminder that terrorism remained a grave existential threat to Nigeria and called for an uncompromising national response.

“The Council is of the strong opinion that the unconscionable acts of kidnapping and murder of schoolchildren constitute a despicable crime against humanity. That these unfortunate incidents have continued to reoccur is a national disgrace that strikes at the very heart of Nigeria’s future and must be stopped immediately,” the statement read.

The council expressed concern that the latest attack came only weeks after the May 15 abduction of 42 pupils of Mussa Primary and Junior Secondary School in the same Askira Uba Local Government Area of Borno State and the kidnapping of 49 pupils and their teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, noting that all the victims remained in captivity.

According to the NSCIA, terrorists exploited Lassa Town’s market day to infiltrate the community before launching the attack, demonstrating that insurgents continued to adapt their methods and exploit security gaps.

The council therefore called for improved intelligence gathering, stronger surveillance, enhanced inter-agency cooperation and effective community-based early warning mechanisms to reduce citizens’ vulnerability to terrorist attacks.

It also urged governments to embrace technology-driven security initiatives, citing the Enugu State Government’s AI-powered security architecture, which includes a Command and Control Centre, surveillance drones and AI-embedded patrol vehicles capable of identifying threats and tracking criminals across the state.

The NSCIA commended the Armed Forces, particularly troops of Operation HADIN KAI, for their swift deployment of ground and air assets, which led to the rescue of some of the abducted students and teachers.

While praising the security forces, it insisted that the operation should continue until every abducted student and member of staff was rescued alive and reunited with their families.

The council also paid tribute to the soldier and the member of the Civilian Joint Task Force who lost their lives during the rescue operation, describing their sacrifice as a demonstration of courage and patriotism.

Reaffirming that terrorism had no place in Islam, the NSCIA declared that Boko Haram and ISWAP were enemies of both Islam and humanity.

It said those who murdered innocent people, abducted children, terrorised communities and destroyed schools could not claim to represent Islam or any recognised religious tradition.

The council commiserated with the Government and people of Borno State, the management of Government Day Secondary School, Lassa, parents of the abducted students and all those affected by the attack.

It reiterated that Nigeria must never surrender to terrorism and called for those responsible for attacks on innocent citizens to be relentlessly pursued, brought to justice and made to face the full weight of the law to ensure lasting peace and security across the country.