The grown men who kidnapped hundreds of young women students in Nigeria are not stupid. They know a threat when they see it. And the threat of female education is real.

Girls and young women go outside their homes to attend school. There, they meet other other young women, are exposed to new ideas, learn new ways of thinking. It doesn’t stop there. After their education is complete, they seek employment. When they contribute financially to the family, they will want a say on family matters. And they may have their own ideas of what they will and won’t tolerate in the home. And outside it.

And this, dear reader, is why grown men are so scared of girls seeking an education.