The UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) has revealed that 91 of the Chibok schoolgirls abducted in 2014 remain missing or in captivity, a decade after the incident shocked the world.
The findings were published in an inquiry report following a confidential mission to Nigeria in December 2023. The delegation visited Abuja and several states—including Adamawa, Borno, Enugu, and Kaduna—where it interviewed survivors, government officials, and security agencies.
According to the report, the mass abduction of 276 girls from Chibok Secondary School by Boko Haram was not an isolated case but part of a wider pattern of mass kidnappings across northern Nigeria. Since then, at least 1,400 students have been abducted from schools, often for ransom, forced marriage, trafficking, or prisoner exchanges.
“The repeated failure to prevent and respond to these abductions amounts to systematic and grave violations of women’s and girls’ rights,” the report stated.
Nahla Haidar, Chair of the Committee, stressed that Chibok marked the beginning of global awareness of a decade-long crisis. She said many victims endured torture, sexual violence, and forced marriages while in captivity, with some compelled to convert religions or give birth under harsh conditions. Survivors of other abductions also reported repeated rape, beatings, and extreme deprivation.
The committee found that outcomes for released girls varied significantly. Those freed through government negotiations—103 in total—received psychosocial support and educational opportunities, with some awarded scholarships at the American University of Nigeria and abroad. By contrast, many who escaped on their own were left without counselling, rehabilitation, or schooling and faced stigma that prevented them from returning to their communities.
CEDAW also reported that families had been pushed into poverty after exhausting their resources to pay ransoms. Survivors, it added, were “failed twice”—first during their abduction, and again upon their return when adequate support was not provided.
The inquiry concluded that Nigerian authorities had failed to:
- Prevent targeted attacks on schools and communities.
- Protect students from abductions.
- Destigmatise survivors of captivity, particularly victims of sexual violence and their children.
- Criminalise abduction and marital rape across all states.
The committee urged Nigeria to intensify efforts to rescue the remaining 91 Chibok girls and other abducted women, properly fund and equip the police, and prioritise the protection of schools.
The delegation that conducted the inquiry included committee members Dalia Leinarte (Lithuania) and Rhoda Reddock (Trinidad and Tobago), alongside two Human Rights Officers.