“SCHOOL-GIRLS KIDNAP” SYNDROME AND GENDER EQUALITY IN NORTHERN NIGERIA

Abstract

In the wake of incessant kidnappings of school children in Northern Nigeria, concerns over the number of out-of-school children and its attendant consequences have grown substantially. While girl-child education in Northern Nigeria is confronted with socioeconomic, religious and cultural impediments, insecurity has added to the list and threatens to reverse the gains made. Leveraging the rational choice theory, this paper examines the trend in the kidnap-for-ransom (K4R) incidents in Northern Nigeria with emphasis on school-girls kidnap which has become pervasive and threatens the achievement of Goal 5 (Gender Equality) of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Secondary research design was adopted and data were sourced from extant literature to substantiate the arguments of the paper. Content analysis was adopted in analysing the data. Consequently, the paper discusses the trend in K4R in Northern Nigeria which has targeted female-dominated schools leading to endless victimisation of school-girls in the region. The paper attributes the act to the rational choice of kidnappers towards achieving their sundry motives. Should the trend continue, thepaper argues that school girls in the region would be denied access to education. Given the role of education in achieving gender equality, the paper concludes that the inability of girls to receive quality education under the prevailing atmosphere of insecurity would hinder the achievement of goal 5 of the SDGs. Thus, the paper recommends cogent ways to rejig schools’ security architecture in order to safeguard the girl-child from imminent attack by kidnappers which would eventually lead to balanced gender representation.