Nigeria, June 2 -- For the past week, I have been watching videos and reading reports about the recent schoolchildren kidnappings in Nigeria, and one question has refused to leave my mind: what exactly is the issue?

Because if we are honest, this did not start today. It takes us back to the night of 14-15 April 2014, when 276 girls were taken from Chibok. I remember where I was that day-sitting in a hotel room in Changsha, China, watching the news unfold. Later, I had dinner with friends from different countries, and a lady from Nepal asked me something I will never forget: "Does your government not protect schools?" I replied: "How?" But that question has haunted me ever since.

Because in many parts of the world, schools are protected...