When School Kidnappings Become Normal: Nigeria’s Never-Ending Security Cycle
AI generated image By Victor Olubiye The latest kidnapping of schoolchildren in Oyo State should have shocked Nigeria. Instead, it felt familiar. That is perhaps the most frightening part of the tragedy. Not that armed men invaded a place where children should have been learning. Not that parents were thrown into panic and uncertainty. Not even that another community was forced to confront the nightmare of waiting for news about loved ones taken by criminals. The most frightening part is that many Nigerians have seen this story before. We know the script. We have watched it play out repeatedly. First comes the news alert. Then the outrage. Social media erupts with anger. Politicians issue statements. Security agencies promise action. Hashtags trend. Television stations run special reports. Then, slowly, public attention fades away. Until another school is attacked. Until another set of parents finds itself praying for the safe return of children who left home simply to get an edu...