The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) has disclosed that 91 Chibok schoolgirls remain in captivity or unaccounted for, ten years after their abduction by Boko Haram.

In a report following a two-week confidential inquiry in Nigeria in December 2023, CEDAW said survivors continue to endure trauma, stigma, and lack of adequate support services.

The delegation carried out assessments in Abuja and in states including Adamawa, Borno, Enugu and Kaduna. According to school staff, this was the first UN mission to visit Chibok Government Secondary School since the mass abduction in 2014.

The committee concluded that “grave and systematic violations persist” and held Nigeria responsible for failing to protect women and girls from abduction and abuse.

CEDAW noted that of the 276 girls abducted in 2014, 82 escaped on their own, while 103 were released in small groups between 2016 and 2017 through prisoner exchanges. At least 91 remain in captivity or their whereabouts unknown.

The inquiry extended beyond Chibok, covering other mass kidnappings by armed groups, many carried out for ransom. Nahla Haidar, Chair of the Committee, stressed that the Chibok tragedy was “not an isolated incident” but part of a decade-long pattern of abductions.

“At least 1,400 students have been kidnapped since 2014,” she said. “Many were taken for ransom, forced marriage, trafficking or prisoner swaps. The state’s repeated failure to protect girls amounts to systematic and grave violations.”

The report documented harrowing conditions in detention: inadequate food, forced marriages, religious coercion, sexual violence, and repeated rape. Some survivors gave birth in captivity.

CEDAW said many escapees faced rejection in their communities and were left without rehabilitation, counselling or schooling. By contrast, the 103 freed through negotiations received psychosocial support and scholarships, including placements at the American University of Nigeria and abroad.

The committee criticised authorities for abandoning the 91 still missing, noting that government negotiations with Boko Haram had ceased.

It further held Nigeria accountable for failing to prevent school attacks, protect girls’ education, destigmatise survivors, or criminalise abduction and marital rape across all states.

CEDAW urged urgent measures, including renewed rescue efforts, better funding of the Police Force, and stronger safeguards against abductions.

The delegation included two CEDAW members, Dalia Leinarte (Lithuania) and Rhoda Reddock (Trinidad and Tobago), supported by UN Human Rights Officers.