> Am I misunderstanding something here?

No, you are right - especially in Northern Nigeria.

Northern Nigeria is in the midst of a protracted Islamist insurgency by Al Qaeda and ISIS where jihadis have often targeted government institutions like schools and kidnapped and subsequently assaulted and trafficked female students, such as in Chibok [0], Papiri [1], and Kebbi [2].

Marriage is viewed from an economic and safety lens in these kinds of communities - if education can provide both then a girl can continue to be educated. If not, marriage is the easiest solution.

This Pathways program had added security monitoring that reduced the risk of girls potentially being made a "war bride" (ie. sex slave) by a jihadist, and never to see their family again, which incentivized families to continue to support their daughters education instead of deciding to marry them off early.

[0] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chibok_schoolgirls_kidnapping

[1] - https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3w7621xypyo

[2] - https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/17/world/africa/nigeria-scho...