The abduction of more than 300 pupils from a school in northern Nigeria last week underscores President Bola Tinubu's faltering security efforts, now under heightened scrutiny since U.S. President Donald Trump threatened military action over the treatment of Christians.

Abuja

Recent mass abductions from schools and churches in several Nigerian states have underscored ongoing security challenges for President Bola Tinubu's administration. Despite Tinubu's earlier pledges to bolster security forces and improve their conditions, attacks have continued, including the kidnapping of over 300 pupils in Niger State and 25 girls in Kebi State.

Authorities have responded by redeploying police officers from VIP protection to focus on public safety, but concerns remain about the effectiveness of these measures. The incidents have also highlighted issues such as overstretched military resources, inadequate intelligence response, and the adaptability of armed gangs operating in remote areas.

Nigeria's mass school kidnappings expose Tinubu's security struggles

Mass kidnappings from schools and churches are plaguing some Nigerian states, exposing security struggles for the president. At his inauguration two-and-a-half years ago, Bola Tinubu pledged to recruit more soldiers and police officers, improve pay, and better equip them. But last week, gunmen kidnapped more than 300 pupils from a school in Niger State, one of the country's worst mass abductions. Even though families had long called on security forces to protect their children and had recruited their own unarmed volunteer guards. Armed gangs routinely kidnap schoolchildren for ransom in remote places like Pipiri Village, which is four miles from the nearest police outpost. It was the third mass abduction in northern Nigeria in the space of a few days, with another at a school and a church. On Sunday, Tinubu instructed the police to redeploy tens of thousands of officers assigned to VIPs to focus on core duties like protecting ordinary people. Agora Policy, a Nigerian think tank that has long called for police reform, says at least 100,000 officers are currently assigned to protecting VIPs and politicians. Mike Kabonkwu, a retired army officer, says soldiers often complain of fatigue after being deployed without rest and fret over their salary, but they also have to contend with an enemy better adapted to the terrain and bandits hiding in dense forests with hostages. I would agree that military is overstretched, that's true, and not to the extent that it's a reason for inability to deal with the insecurity, especially the fight against insurgency. Gunmen kidnapped 25 girls from a boarding school in Kebi State last week, even though authorities had received intelligence of a possible attack. Governor Nassir Idris has called for a military investigation, as soldiers deployed to protect the school left in the early hours of November 17, less than an hour before gunmen attacked. He says the girls have now been released. They have been rescued and all of them are in good health. A few days earlier, a Nigerian brigadier general was captured and killed by the militant group known as Islamic State West Africa Province in Borno State in the northeast. Even though he had escaped and was in contact with his base, leading to suspicions his locations may have been leaked, according to two army sources. The military did not respond to Reuters questions about the two incidents.

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