Senior lawyer and leading human rights campaigner, Femi Falana, SAN, has called for immediate and comprehensive measures to secure schools and communities in northern Nigeria amid escalating threats from armed groups.
Falana made the remarks in Abuja during the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) Human Rights Institute’s commemoration of the 2025 International Human Rights Day. The event, chaired by retired Supreme Court Justice Muhammad Dattijo, explored the theme, “Human Rights: Our Everyday Essential,” with an emphasis on national security as a cornerstone of development.
The lawyer said ongoing counterterrorism measures in the North were inadequate and required greater investment, strategy and accountability. He warned that the continued closure of schools in the region demonstrated the gravity of the situation.
“Terrorists and bandits are celebrating these school closures. We cannot continue claiming victory while children are being driven out of classrooms,” he said.
Falana expressed alarm over Nigeria’s rising number of out-of-school children—estimated at about 20 million—stating that the overwhelming majority live in the northern states. He cautioned that continued neglect of these children risked fuelling future instability.
He also criticised the mismanagement of public funds allocated to security initiatives and urged the NBA to monitor recovery efforts and ensure transparency. He called on state governments to strengthen school security before reopening them.
As part of a broader strategy, he suggested temporarily relocating some schools to safer urban centres. Where relocation is not possible, he said local communities must be supported to build robust grassroots security networks.
Falana pointed to the vast distances and rugged terrain in many northern regions, which complicate rapid security response. He also highlighted technological challenges, referencing a stalled child-monitoring initiative in Niger State caused by inadequate satellite capacity.
He welcomed the federal government’s approval of ₦20 billion for satellite acquisition, saying upgraded space technology would improve surveillance and response times. He urged the military and security agencies to procure modern equipment needed to counter terrorism effectively.
Falana encouraged the NBA to defend citizens’ rights more vigorously by engaging with the Inspector-General of Police, the DSS Director-General and service chiefs. He also called for compiling and disseminating court judgments that uphold human rights, including those invalidating compulsory ID checks at military checkpoints and regulations restricting marriage rights for female police officers.
“These decisions must be widely circulated so citizens understand their rights and security agencies comply with them,” he said.
NBA First Vice President and Human Rights Institute Chairman, Sabastine Anyia, in his welcome address, said the protection of human rights depends fundamentally on ensuring safety across the country. He described human rights as an essential part of daily life and warned that insecurity undermines national growth, businesses, education and community cohesion.
“Without security, human rights lose their meaning. Dreams fade, children retreat in fear before they learn, and communities become shadows of what they could be,” he said.
