With Nigeria's economy and poverty levels worsening, abductions have become an almost daily occurrence in the country. The kidnappings tear apart families who have to pool their savings to pay the ransoms and the U.N. estimates that at least 10.5 million children are out of school due to insecurity.

Kaduna

Nigeria is experiencing an alarming surge in kidnappings, with abductions becoming almost a daily occurrence as the country's economy worsens and poverty levels rise. These kidnappings are having a profound impact on families, often tearing them apart as they struggle to gather their savings to pay for ransoms to secure the release of their loved ones. The United Nations estimates that the insecurity caused by these incidents has resulted in at least 10.5 million children being unable to attend school, highlighting the significant societal and educational impact of the kidnappings.



Explained: The impact of Nigeria's almost daily kidnappings

When her 13-year-old daughter, Precious Sim, was kidnapped from her high school in northern Nigeria in 2021, Esther Joseph says she went almost mad with anguish. She says her daughter still suffers from panic attacks. Sometimes she jerks up in her sleep and runs to hold me. She is scared of the light bulb. The fear seems to be reducing a little, but she gets agitated at any loud sound. If I shout at her, she gets scared, and it is because of the experience in the bush, like how they were shooting or treating them. She is still scared. With Nigeria's economy and poverty levels worsening, abductions have become almost a daily occurrence in the country. They were first carried out by jihadist group Boko Haram a decade ago. But the tactic has since been adopted by criminal gangs without ideological affiliation, seeking ransom payments. And authorities seem unable to stop them. On March 7th, 286 students and school staff were kidnapped by gunmen in Kuriga, a town in Kaduna state. Local authorities told Reuters on Wednesday that they had demanded a total ransom of one billion naira, or just over $620,000, for their release. On March 11th, around 60 people were abducted in Buda, in the same state, residents said. These kidnappings are tearing families and communities apart who have to pool their savings to pay the ransoms. Parents are often forced to sell their most prized possessions, like land, cattle and grain, to secure their children's release. Precious returned to school after her mother sold her meager possessions and got help from family and church members to pay her ransom. But many other victims of kidnapping drop out after being released out of fear they might be abducted again. UNICEF estimates that at least 10.5 million children are out of school in Nigeria, the highest number in the world. Kidnappings are a major driver of withdrawal of children from schools, according to Isa Sanusi, Amnesty International's director in Nigeria. Going to school now is now suicidal in many parts of rural northern Nigeria. And many teachers are fleeing their posts, their duty posts, in local areas and rural areas, because if they go back, they are afraid that they might be abducted and their students might be abducted. In remote rural areas, unfenced schools are an easy target. Sanusi said it was difficult to get accurate figures for school kidnappings. But according to Amnesty International, nearly 750 people have been kidnapped in the first two weeks of March alone. Successive Nigerian governments have deployed soldiers and bombed suspect hideouts used by armed groups. But that has not stopped the kidnappings. The country's information minister said on Wednesday that the government's position is that security forces should secure the hostages' release without paying for ransom. Since 2022, paying to free hostages is a crime in Nigeria and carries a jail sentence of at least 15 years.

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