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Nigerian High Commission Protest school abductions leah sharibu CSW.jpg header2.jpg
Nigerian High Commission Protest school abductions leah sharibu CSW.jpg
World News

Christian groups protest against the spate of school abductions in Nigeria outside High Commission in London

Christian charity representatives have campaigned outside the Nigerian High Commission in protest at the frequent disappearance of young people in the West African country. 

Leah Sharibu, a Christian girl, is among the hundreds of teenagers who have been abducted, and sometimes returned, from schools in Nigeria. She has not been released. 

The UN estimates that 1 million school children could miss school this year because of the threat of kidnap. 

Christian Peer Lord David Alton, spoke to Premier from outside the Nigerian High Commission, saying: "The education of around 1.3 million students is believed to be affected by the attacks and abductions in the last academic year alone." 

He said over 1,000 students have been abducted for ransom since 2020. 

Lord Alton explained why he was passionate about it: "I've been a teacher myself but I've also seen the difference that education has made first in the lives of my own children and now my granddaughters as well. I want the same things for girls and women in Nigeria that our young women and girls are entitled to in this country as well."

The protest was part of Christian Solidarity Worldwide's 'Sing For Freedom' campaign
 
CSW's founder president Mervyn Thomas said: "We particularly remember, as we have done so many times on this spot, Leah Sharibu. She is 18 years old now, but she was 14 years old when she was taken by Boko Haram, and she's now been held for nearly four years for one reason. The one reason is: she has refused to renounce her faith in Jesus, and so she's still being held captive. And of course we remember the Chibok girls as part of this campaign...270 girls who were kidnapped in 2014, and there are still 110 of them missing today.  We're here today to stand in solidarity with them."

UNESCO recommends that governments commit 15 to 20 per cent of their national budget to education. However, for 2021 the Nigerian government allocated 5.6 per cent of its budget towards education.
 

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