On the mass kidnappings in Nigeria
Who is behind the mass abductions in Nigeria and what do they want? What has caused the recent surge in kidnappings? Why do they specifically target schoolchildren? What is the government doing to improve the security situation?
Battling its worst economic crisis in years, Nigeria is also facing serious security challenges amid a resurgence of kidnappings in its troubled northern region. Over 600 people, including at least 300 schoolchildren, have been kidnapped in the northeastern and northwestern parts of the country since the end of February.
What is the latest crisis?
Reports of a mass abduction first emerged from a remote area in northeastern Borno earlier this year. On February 29, suspected Boko Haram militants abducted at least 200 internally displaced people, mostly women and children, while they were gathering firewood outside their camps, in the Ngala Local Government Area. Similar incidents were reported from the northwestern region in quick succession. On March 7, 287 students were kidnapped from a government school in the Chikun area of Kuriga town in Kaduna State. The attackers abducted children and a few staff members, demanding one billion naira (about $6,00,000) for their release. Around 48 hours later, assailants attacked a boarding school in Sokoto State at around 1 a.m., abducting 15 children from the hostel as they slept. The gunmen fled before security forces could arrive. Tragedy struck the northern region again on March 11. Sixtyone people were kidnapped from a village in Kaduna. Nearly 100 others were abducted by gunmen in two attacks in Kaduna between March 16 and March 17
The spate of kidnappings drew condemnation from human rights activists, with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk saying that he was “appalled” by the recurrent mass abductions. He called for perpetrators to be identified and brought to account “as a first step towards reining in the impunity that feeds these attacks and abductions.”
Nigeria last experienced a surge in targeted attacks on educational institutions in 2021. Approximately 150 students were kidnapped by armed men in four months. Although most were eventually released, at least five were killed. The 2014 kidnapping of 276 girls by Boko Haram insurgents from a school in the Chibok town of Borno State continues to be one of the worst crimes committed in recent years. Of the 276, several were forced to marry and endure physical and psychological abuse. A decade later, 98 are still missing.
Who’s behind the mass abductions?
At the time of the first attack in February, Boko Haram emerged as the primary suspect, given its track record of violence in Nigeria. The group has been engaged in a prolonged insurgency, causing widespread devastation and displacement. Kidnapping has been a key component of their terror tactics. However, with no organisation claiming responsibility for the recent abductions, there are suspicions that local armed gangs in these regions, commonly referred to as bandits, might be behind the incidents. Relatively new actors in the turbulent security landscape, bandits are believed to be an outcome of years of conflict over land and water between nomadic herdsmen and farming communities. While disputes earlier centred around such basic needs, bandits have evolved into organised armed groups in recent times. They have taken to looting, kidnapping for ransom, and forcibly seizing control of valuable assets like gold mines and farmlands.
What’s fuelling the surge?
The rise of kidnapping as a ‘lucrative’ industry in Nigeria has stemmed from a combination of economic, security, and political issues, including a struggling economy, high unemployment rates, surging inflation, increasing food insecurity, and instability in the Niger delta. Ransom payments have become the primary motivation behind the kidnapping incidents, as successive governments have struggled to tackle these complex security challenges. Africafocused consulting company SBM Intelligence says Nigeria faces security crises across all six geopolitical zones, including threats from Boko Haram, bandit groups, criminal gangs, sea piracy, and agitation by armed separatists.
Nigeria’s economic challenges have worsened due to monetary policies which caused the currency to plummet against the dollar, leading to widespread protests and increased desperation. This, in turn, drives youth to join armed gangs. The ransom menace has escalated in recent years, with armed gangs controlling significant territories and amassing a formidable arsenal of weapons. These gangs have seized control of mining sites and farmlands, forcing rural residents into labour and threatening the country’s food security by controlling vital agricultural areas. As per former federal lawmaker Shehu Sani, bandits target schoolchildren because they know “it will evoke public sympathy for the pupils, and pressure will be mounted on the government to bow to their demands.”
How has the government responded?
While government security forces are working to obtain the safe release of the victims, President Bola Tinubu has rejected the idea of paying ransom for nearly 600 people abducted in separate incidents this month. Notably, in Nigeria, anyone found paying a ransom to free a hostage could face at least 15 years in jail. This law was enacted in 2022 due to the prevalence of kidnappings for ransom in the region. Security operations, however, are expected to last months as forces navigate the remote forest areas where the victims are being held. Activists say the government must initiate dialogue with the bandits to resolve the ongoing conflict, expressing concerns over the potential consequences of using force.