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<p dir="ltr">Nigeria is once again waking up to the painful reality of kidnappings tearing through communities, leaving families shattered and children terrified. The recent school attacks in Kebbi, Kwara and Niger States have reopened wounds that never fully healed, reminding the nation of just how vulnerable ordinary people have become. In villages and towns across these states, parents hold their children a little tighter, neighbours speak in hushed tones, and communities pray that they will not be the next headline.</p><div class="xJSC6P2l" style="clear:both;float:left;width:100%;margin:0 0 20px 0;"><script async src="https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script>

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<p dir="ltr">Schools, places meant to be havens of learning and laughter, are increasingly becoming targets, and the fear is unmistakable in the eyes of students and teachers alike.</p><div class="rbNT4Lxz" style="clear:both;float:left;width:100%;margin:0 0 20px 0;"><script async src="https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script>

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<p dir="ltr">The closure of several unity schools, including schools in Taraba, Bauchi, Plateau, Yobe, Katsina, and Niger states, has been described by many parents as a heartbreaking but desperate measure. Mothers stand outside the locked school gates, wondering when their children will return to their classrooms.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Fathers worry about a future they cannot guarantee. While closing schools may temporarily shield children from danger, it also steals from them the one thing that gives them hope: education. Many families ask themselves how long this can continue.</p>
<p dir="ltr">How long should a child remain at home because the country cannot protect them? How long should silence be the only shield Nigerians have against violence?</p>
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<p dir="ltr">Every new attack brings back memories Nigerians have tried to forget. In 2014, the world watched in disbelief as the Chibok schoolgirls were taken deep into the night. Years later, the nation mourned again with the abduction of the Dapchi girls, and then with the kidnapping of hundreds of Kankara schoolboys.</p>
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<p dir="ltr">These tragedies are not statistics—they are daughters who never came home, sons who still dream of escape, parents who go to bed every night with tears on their pillows.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Today’s kidnappings in Kebbi, Kwara and Niger are painful reminders that the cycle is far from over. Behind every headline is a child calling out for help and a parent praying endlessly for a safe return.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Communities are tired. People now move with fear, sleep with fear, and wake up with fear. The roads feel dangerous, farms feel unsafe, and even classrooms a symbol of growth and innocence no longer feel secure. What was once abnormal has slowly become part of daily life, and that is perhaps the greatest tragedy of all. Nigerians should not have to choose between safety and education, between being alive and being free.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Across the country, the call for stronger action grows louder. Nigerians are pleading, not just complaining, but pleading—for leadership that listens, responds and acts. They want security forces empowered with proper equipment, proper intelligence and proper motivation.</p>
<p dir="ltr">They want communities protected before tragedy strikes, not after. They want a government that can reassure them that their children can go to school without fear of never coming back.</p>
<p dir="ltr">As the nation reflects on these painful incidents, one question hangs heavily in the air: for how long? For how long will families continue to plead for the return of their daughters and sons? For how long will fear dictate the choices of innocent people? For how long will children have to trade their books for hiding places? The memories of Chibok, Dapchi, Kankara and now the attacks in Kebbi and Niger echo through the country like unanswered prayers.</p>
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<p dir="ltr">Nigeria is bleeding. But in the midst of the pain, Nigerians still hold on to hope. Hope that the leaders will rise to the moment, hope that their communities will heal, and hope that their children will once again fill classrooms with chatter instead of silence. Above all, Nigerians hope for a future where no parent has to fear that school might be the last place they see their child.</p>
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<p dir="ltr"><b>Abubakar</b> is a Student of Information and Media Studies. Bayero University Kano</p>
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<p dir="ltr"><a href="mailto:fizzyabubakar@gmail.com">fizzyabubakar@gmail.com</a></p>
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