# 200 girls kidnapped from physics class in Nigeria
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/200-girls-kidnapped-from-physics-class-in-nigeria/687076
**Category:** The BBQ Pit
**Created:** [April 26, 2014, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/200-girls-kidnapped-from-physics-class-in-nigeria/687076 "2014-04-26T21:39:58Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 2
### Author:  [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)
#### Post date: [April 27, 2014, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/200-girls-kidnapped-from-physics-class-in-nigeria/687076/21 "2014-04-27T19:09:03Z")
> [@Broomstick](#):
>
> Just taken the girls. As I noted, the common practice seems to be to use these women as domestic slaves and sexual outlet. They don’t want money, they want slaves.
Ah, well, you know, maybe they’re **better off** as slaves . . .
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### Author:  [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)
#### Post date: [April 27, 2014, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/200-girls-kidnapped-from-physics-class-in-nigeria/687076/22 "2014-04-27T21:33:10Z")
Just a tip: in text that might be interpreted as you making a serious statement about your own opinions. I’m going to assume you’re joking/sarcastic/making a reference to a rancher named Bundy.
Better off or not is a tough question here - better dead or better a slave? Well, as a domestic slave there is the possibility of escape in the future I suppose. On the other hand, no way to know how these girls are actually being treated right now. It’s conceivable there are slavery situations worse than death.
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### Author:  [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)
#### Post date: [April 28, 2014, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/200-girls-kidnapped-from-physics-class-in-nigeria/687076/23 "2014-04-28T00:09:30Z")
From the [Guardian article](http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/25/nigeria-schoolgirls-families-hopes-fade) on the kidnappings:
> [@](#):
>
> The parents [who had been searching for their missing daughters] turned around only after being warned by communities in the forest that their rag-tag group, armed with machetes and knives, would be gunned down by the militants, **who wield sophisticated weapons**.
…sophisticated weapons undoubtedly manufactured somewhere in the West, by companies whose managers will never have to worry about that kind of thing happening to THEIR children.
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### Author:  [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)
#### Post date: [April 28, 2014, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/200-girls-kidnapped-from-physics-class-in-nigeria/687076/24 "2014-04-28T01:48:30Z")
The crime appears to carry a political statement. The most similar incident I can think of was the kidnapping of an Israeli boy Joselle Schumacher by his orthodox Jewish grandfather. The incident touched off a political whirlwind in Israel between secularists and orthodox Jews. No less than the Mossad conducted a world-wide manhunt for the boy.
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### Author:  [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)
#### Post date: [April 28, 2014, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/200-girls-kidnapped-from-physics-class-in-nigeria/687076/25 "2014-04-28T02:09:07Z")
> [@Aspidistra](#):
>
> From the [Guardian article](http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/25/nigeria-schoolgirls-families-hopes-fade) on the kidnappings:
>
> …sophisticated weapons undoubtedly manufactured somewhere in the West, by companies whose managers will never have to worry about that kind of thing happening to THEIR children.
OTOH, they might have been made in Russia. Very ubiquitous weapon, the Kalashnikov. And Russians might sometimes have something to worry about in that regard . . .
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### Author:  [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)
#### Post date: [April 28, 2014, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/200-girls-kidnapped-from-physics-class-in-nigeria/687076/26 "2014-04-28T02:16:17Z")
“Sophisticated” simply means more firepower than knives and machetes. Don’t know how the west (or east) somehow plays into the discussion. It’s still a rag-tag group of bandits and it’s up to the national government and law enforcement to do something for those girls.
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### Author:  [@Battle\_Pope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Battle_Pope)
#### Post date: [April 28, 2014, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/200-girls-kidnapped-from-physics-class-in-nigeria/687076/27 "2014-04-28T02:31:44Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#):
>
> OTOH, they might have been made in Russia. Very ubiquitous weapon, the Kalashnikov. And Russians might sometimes have something to worry about in that regard . . .
Looking around some pictures such as this turn up:
[http://www.voanews.com/content/clash-kills-top-boko-haram-commander/1729612.html](http://www.voanews.com/content/clash-kills-top-boko-haram-commander/1729612.html)
They appear to be Soviet-era AK variants, RPG’s and heavy machine guns. Not sure about that pair of SMG’s at the lower left.
A few others show a weird mix of weapons ranging from what appear to home-made affairs to a WW2 Garand and what looks like a 19th century Spencer Carbine!
[http://blogs.cfr.org/campbell/2012/03/23/nigeria-boko-haram-negotiations-break-down/](http://blogs.cfr.org/campbell/2012/03/23/nigeria-boko-haram-negotiations-break-down/)
Really, it looks like if it goes _bang!_ and doesn’t kill the user after a few shots it’s considered a viable weapon.
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### Author:  [@Sr\_Siete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sr_Siete)
#### Post date: [April 28, 2014, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/200-girls-kidnapped-from-physics-class-in-nigeria/687076/28 "2014-04-28T08:17:35Z")
> **[Business Insider](https://www.businessinsider.com/)**
>
> Insider tells the global tech, finance, markets, media, healthcare, and strategy stories you want to know.
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### Author:  [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)
#### Post date: [April 28, 2014, 9:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/200-girls-kidnapped-from-physics-class-in-nigeria/687076/29 "2014-04-28T09:32:01Z")
> [@Aspidistra](#):
>
> …sophisticated weapons undoubtedly manufactured somewhere in the West, by companies whose managers will never have to worry about that kind of thing happening to THEIR children.
As has been noted, they’re probably Soviet-era (and bloc) Kalashnikovs, among a motley assortment of home-made guns, a few relics of the Colonial era and possibly a handful of sporting guns.
Western companies tend to be a little more discerning about who they supply guns to these days, not least because of the PR nightmare that would accompany any revelations about a well-known Western arms-maker supplying shiny new guns to the wrong sort of “Freedom Fighters” - that and I believe most of their executives don’t want their guns being used to kill civilians or engage in other atrocities because it’s not a very nice thing to happen to anyone, regardless of where they live.
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### Author:  [@Shooby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shooby)
#### Post date: [April 28, 2014, 9:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/200-girls-kidnapped-from-physics-class-in-nigeria/687076/30 "2014-04-28T09:48:21Z")
I’m surprised that some cable news network hasn’t gone on a crazy breaking news spiral over this. 200 schoolgirls kidnapped from _school_ seems like an amazing ratings grabber. I know they’re not in Murka or even Europe, but the enslavement of 200 schoolchildren’s gotta be worth something. Are they too black? Are they afraid viewers won’t give a shit and switch to another channel unless it’s a pretty blonde cheerleader?
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### Author:  [@Sr\_Siete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sr_Siete)
#### Post date: [April 28, 2014, 10:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/200-girls-kidnapped-from-physics-class-in-nigeria/687076/31 "2014-04-28T10:17:01Z")
> [@Shooby](#):
>
> I’m surprised that some cable news network hasn’t gone on a crazy breaking news spiral over this. 200 schoolgirls kidnapped from _school_ seems like an amazing ratings grabber. I know they’re not in Murka or even Europe, but the enslavement of 200 schoolchildren’s gotta be worth something. Are they too black? Are they afraid viewers won’t give a shit and switch to another channel unless it’s a pretty blonde cheerleader?
The Westgate Mall attack got plenty of coverage back in last september, with plenty of black victims. I think that it’s more of a case of the situation not being sensational or immediate enough, just complex, sad and depressing.
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### Author:  [@Becky2844](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Becky2844)
#### Post date: [April 28, 2014, 10:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/200-girls-kidnapped-from-physics-class-in-nigeria/687076/32 "2014-04-28T10:32:58Z")
> [@Ibn\_Warraq](#):
>
> So, they think girls with science books are a greater threat to them then men with guns.
>
> They’re right.
_fist in air_
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### Author:  [@Chihuahua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chihuahua)
#### Post date: [April 28, 2014, 10:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/200-girls-kidnapped-from-physics-class-in-nigeria/687076/33 "2014-04-28T10:38:33Z")
> [@Aspidistra](#):
>
> From the [Guardian article](http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/25/nigeria-schoolgirls-families-hopes-fade) on the kidnappings:
>
> …sophisticated weapons undoubtedly manufactured somewhere in the West, by companies whose managers will never have to worry about that kind of thing happening to THEIR children.
???
Gonna need a cite on this one. :mad:
These groups are overwhelmingly armed with the usual assortment of Soviet-manufactured RPKs, AKs, and RPGs. Probably the best equipment they have is looted Libyan stuff that has filtered south. I am baffled by what train of logic you used to jump to the conclusion that “The West” is arming and supplying these people.
When someone in the media talks about a “sophisticated” weapon they usually mean “anything other than a flintlock musket.” Remember when the Columbine shooting happened and the media went around calling a Tec-9 a “high-tech” weapon? These are weasel words that have nothing to do with the actual mechanism of the weapon they are describing.
To return to the OP, though, the girls are probably already in Chad and Cameroon. A big part of the problem is not government apathy, but ruthless corruption by kleptocrats who have sucked so much revenue out of the government that their military and police are under-armed and incapable of enforcing law and order.
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### Author:  [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)
#### Post date: [April 29, 2014, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/200-girls-kidnapped-from-physics-class-in-nigeria/687076/34 "2014-04-29T05:40:20Z")
> [@Shooby](#):
>
> Are they too black? Are they afraid viewers won’t give a shit and switch to another channel unless it’s a pretty blonde cheerleader?
Actually, I think in this case it’s because they don’t have any staff on site and can’t easily get them there. Place is a warzone, quite frankly.
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### Author:  [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)
#### Post date: [April 29, 2014, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/200-girls-kidnapped-from-physics-class-in-nigeria/687076/35 "2014-04-29T13:33:45Z")
> [@Shooby](#):
>
> I’m surprised that some cable news network hasn’t gone on a crazy breaking news spiral over this. 200 schoolgirls kidnapped from _school_ seems like an amazing ratings grabber. I know they’re not in Murka or even Europe, but the enslavement of 200 schoolchildren’s gotta be worth something. Are they too black? Are they afraid viewers won’t give a shit and switch to another channel unless it’s a pretty blonde cheerleader?
Probably the same reason none has gone on “a crazy breaking news spiral” about [Human Trafficking in the United States.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_trafficking_in_the_United_States)
This is a terrible situation, but there are terrible situations all over the world. There’s a goddam civil war going on in Syria that has killed over 100,000 people and left millions as refugees. Where’s the “crazy breaking news spiral” about that?
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### Author:  [@John\_Bredin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Bredin)
#### Post date: [April 29, 2014, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/200-girls-kidnapped-from-physics-class-in-nigeria/687076/36 "2014-04-29T19:37:44Z")
> [@orcenio](#):
>
> Apparently “Boko Haram” quite literally means “Western Education is forbidden” so its no surprise why a school was targeted.
To tie into the weapons discussion, why am I not surprised that they don’t follow through their “logic” and say “Western weapons are forbidden” too?:rolleyes::smack:
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### Author:  [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)
#### Post date: [April 29, 2014, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/200-girls-kidnapped-from-physics-class-in-nigeria/687076/37 "2014-04-29T23:09:13Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#):
>
> Probably the same reason none has gone on “a crazy breaking news spiral” about [Human Trafficking in the United States.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_trafficking_in_the_United_States)
>
> This is a terrible situation, but there are terrible situations all over the world. There’s a goddam civil war going on in Syria that has killed over 100,000 people and left millions as refugees. Where’s the “crazy breaking news spiral” about that?
So you’re saying that unless someone reports on everything, no one should report on anything? I’m not sure I follow. People reported on that missing airplane and the ferry disaster at great length. Certainly this story is more important than some aging sports team owner making racist comments. I think it’s only natural to wonder why this story hasn’t gotten the same amount of attention. I suspect **Mr Dibble** has the right answer: Most outlets don’t have people there, due to the danger. I wonder how the Guardian was able to cover the story in such detail, though.
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### Author:  [@racepug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racepug)
#### Post date: [April 29, 2014, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/200-girls-kidnapped-from-physics-class-in-nigeria/687076/38 "2014-04-29T23:20:47Z")
I honestly try to be open-minded about other peoples and cultures but I really can’t see much positive about anything in Africa. Can anybody else think of a country in Africa that isn’t effed up one way or another 'cause I sure can’t!
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### Author:  [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)
#### Post date: [April 29, 2014, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/200-girls-kidnapped-from-physics-class-in-nigeria/687076/39 "2014-04-29T23:22:57Z")
Botswana’s doing pretty well.
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### Author:  [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)
#### Post date: [April 29, 2014, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/200-girls-kidnapped-from-physics-class-in-nigeria/687076/40 "2014-04-29T23:37:55Z")
> [@Ibn\_Warraq](#):
>
> So, they think girls with science books are a greater threat to them then men with guns.
>
> They’re right.
> [@Becky2844](#):
>
> _fist in air_
Err… the girls are losing so far.
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