Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka has lamented the prevalence of human trafficking or modern-day slavery and the mass abduction of schoolgirls in Nigeria.
Speaking at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on Tuesday during a session commemorating the 2025 International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, Prof. Soyinka decried the continuous targeting of children, particularly in Africa.
The literary icon referenced the 2014 mass abduction of nearly 300 schoolgirls from Chibok, Borno State, by Boko Haram terrorists.
He highlighted the alarming frequency of kidnappings in the region, asserting that “slave markets thrive all over the African continent.
“Today, the new slavers simply wait for you and me to send our children to school, especially boarding schools,” Soyinka told attendees, including UN Secretary-General, António Guterres and UNGA President, Philemon Yang.
Read also: Police, military rescue kidnapped naval officer, 2 others in Abuja
“They descend on them, snatch them away, sequester them in the fastness of the forest, and then call on us to come and ransom them.”
Soyinka, 90, emphasized that the phenomenon of slavery is far from over, warning similar abductions occur “almost daily,” particularly in West Africa.
He also referenced other mass kidnappings, including the 2018 abduction of 110 schoolgirls in Dapchi, Yobe State.
Describing slavery as “a blood on universal conscience,” Prof. Soyinka called for a global commitment to eradicating the practice, arguing that it is rooted in the robbery of human rights and dignity.
While he opposed material reparations for victims, he urged symbolic actions that reinforce humanity’s collective resolve against slavery.
The UN first recognized the transatlantic slave trade as one of history’s worst human rights violations in 2006.
The annual commemoration of the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade has been observed every March 25 since 2008.
