UN: 91 Chibok schoolgirls still missing 10 years after abduction

A new report by the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) has revealed that 91 of the 276 schoolgirls abducted from Chibok, Borno State, in 2014 remain missing or in captivity, a decade after the mass abduction by Boko Haram.

The inquiry, based on a confidential mission to Nigeria in December 2023, concluded that Nigeria continues to face “grave and systematic violations” of women’s and girls’ rights amid recurring mass abductions. The UN delegation visited Abuja, Adamawa, Borno, Enugu, and Kaduna, meeting with government agencies, security officials, and survivors, including those in internally displaced persons (IDPs) camps.

The report noted that of the Chibok girls, 82 escaped on their own while 103 were released through prisoner swaps between 2016 and 2017. However, at least 91 are still unaccounted for, with the government no longer actively pursuing negotiations for their release.

CEDAW documented harrowing accounts of captivity, including forced marriages, religious conversion, rape, and childbirth under harsh conditions. Survivors who escaped have faced stigmatisation, with many denied rehabilitation, counselling, or education. By contrast, the 103 girls freed through government intervention received psychosocial support and scholarships, including opportunities at the American University of Nigeria and abroad.

Committee Chair, Nahla Haidar, said the Chibok abduction was “not an isolated tragedy but part of a decade-long pattern” of attacks on schools and communities.

She noted that at least 1,400 students have been kidnapped since 2014, often for ransom, trafficking, or forced marriages.

The report also accused Nigerian authorities of failing to prevent school attacks, protect students, criminalise abductions and marital rape across all states, and provide adequate care for survivors.

It criticised the state for “failing the girls twice—first at abduction, and again by neglecting their recovery.”

CEDAW urged the government to intensify efforts to rescue the remaining 91 Chibok girls, secure the release of other abducted women and girls, and equip security agencies to better protect vulnerable communities.

The full inquiry report, with findings and recommendations, has been made available online.