School Abductions Surge Across Northern Nigeria as Bandits Replace Insurgents
Data on school abductions in Nigeria have shown a disturbing resurgence of large-scale attacks, with incidents occurring at more than double the pre-2023 rate.
According to a compiled report on school kidnappings, eight major school abduction incidents were recorded between 2014 and 2021, while four major cases occurred between March 2024 and November 2025 alone
The document revealed that while the earlier cases spanned about seven years, the recent incidents happened within less than two years, pushing the estimated annual rate from about 1.1 incidents per year to 2.3 incidents per year.
In terms of victims, approximately 1,172 students were abducted between 2014 and 2021, compared to around 630 students between 2024 and 2025. This has doubled the estimated number of children kidnapped yearly from about 160–170 to 350–370 students.
The report also showed a geographical shift. Early attacks began mainly in the North-East — Borno and Yobe — before spreading to the North-West and North-Central, but recent abductions are now largely concentrated in Kaduna, Sokoto, Kebbi and Niger States.
While early incidents were linked to Boko Haram and its splinter groups, recent cases are primarily carried out by armed bandits and criminal gangs, driven largely by ransom payments rather than ideology.
The targeting pattern has also changed.
Although many earlier attacks focused on girls’ schools, recent incidents now involve mixed schools, students and teaching staff, with larger numbers abducted per incident.
The report observed that government response has shifted from heavy military operations against insurgents to reactive school closures and case-by-case negotiations, as international bodies continue to raise concerns over rising impunity
Sodiq Yusuf is a trained media practitioner and journalist with considerable years of experience in print, broadcast, and digital journalism. His interests cover a wide range of causes in politics, governance, sports, community development, and good governance.
