Why Mass Kidnappings Persist in Nigeria After a Decade of Violence

Nigeria is once again confronting the horror of a major school abduction, following the kidnapping of more than 300 students and staff from St. Mary’s Private Primary and Secondary School in Niger State on November 21. 

The attack, one of the worst the country has witnessed in recent years, has reignited a painful question: why does Nigeria continue to suffer mass kidnappings more than ten years after Chibok?

President Bola Tinubu confirmed that some abducted students managed to escape, but the incident remains deeply alarming. It is the third school kidnapping within a single week, underscoring how insecurity has spread across northern Nigeria despite ongoing security operations.

The abduction mirrors a pattern that began in 2014 when Boko Haram kidnapped 276 schoolgirls in Chibok, an event that drew global outrage and sparked the #BringBackOurGirls movement.

While many of those girls have returned home, more than 100 remain missing—symbolising the persistent failure to contain armed groups fully.

Today, kidnappings for ransom, driven by both criminal gangs and extremist groups, continue to destabilise communities, disrupt education, and fuel national anxiety.

Remote Regions and Weak Security Provide Safe Havens for Armed Groups

Much of northern Nigeria, especially the north-west and north-central regions, faces severe insecurity. Armed groups operate with little resistance in remote areas, often attacking communities on motorcycles, firing warning shots, abducting victims, and retreating into dense forests where law enforcement cannot easily pursue them.

Security analysts believe most of these groups are motivated by profit rather than ideology. Schools are particularly vulnerable because of weak perimeter security and the likelihood that desperate families will negotiate or pay ransoms.

In the north-east, however, ideological extremism plays a central role. Boko Haram and ISWAP reject Western education and often target schools, especially those that educate girls, as part of their militant agenda.

Government Responses Have Fallen Short

Despite government efforts to curb the crisis, kidnappings continue to rise. The federal government has outlawed the payment of ransoms, but the ban has had limited effect, as communities often feel they have no alternative when children’s lives are at stake.

President Tinubu has suspended foreign travel to coordinate security responses, while state governments across northern Nigeria—including Niger, Kebbi, Yobe, and Katsina—have closed public and private schools amid fear of further attacks.

Military operations continue across the north, particularly in the north-east, but security agencies remain overstretched. In several north-western communities, state authorities have even relied on traditional leaders to negotiate with armed groups for the release of abducted students.

Economic Hardship Fuels Criminal Recruitment

Nigeria’s economic crisis is deepening insecurity. High unemployment, unstable electricity, poor infrastructure, and limited opportunities have created a fertile environment for criminal recruitment, particularly among young men in rural communities.

Security consultancy SBM Intelligence argues that Nigeria must invest in advanced tracing technologies to track ransom payments and dismantle kidnapping networks. But it also emphasises that stabilising the economy remains critical to weakening the appeal of criminal activity.

External Narratives and International Politics Add Complexity

The latest abductions come at a time when international claims—particularly from the United States—are reshaping discussions around Nigeria’s security crisis. Several right-wing US politicians, including President Donald Trump, have accused Nigeria of permitting the persecution of Christians.

Earlier this month, Trump threatened to send troops to Nigeria “guns blazing” if killings of Christians continued.
Nigerian authorities have dismissed these statements as “gross misrepresentations,” insisting that armed groups target anyone who rejects their extremist ideology—Muslims, Christians, and non-religious individuals alike.

In central Nigeria, longstanding clashes between herders and farmers are often framed as religious conflict, yet experts say these disputes are primarily driven by competition for land, water, and diminished natural resources.

A Crisis Without a Simple Solution

More than a decade after Chibok, Nigeria is still battling mass abductions that destabilise families, shutter schools, and undermine national confidence.

The persistence of these crimes reflects a combination of weak security structures, local grievances, economic desperation, extremist ideology, and cross-border weapon flows.

Until these underlying factors are addressed holistically, and Nigeria strengthens both security and economic opportunities, mass kidnappings are likely to remain one of the nation’s gravest challenges.