Decade of Terror: Nigeria vexed with govt apathy, reeling from mass abductions

Seven years ago on April 14, armed Boko Haram insurgents abducted 276 schoolgirls from the remote Nigerian town of Chibok. Among them, 57 managed to escape by leaping from the trucks in which they were being transported. The fate of the remaining 219 hostages remains unknown. In the past week, Nigeria has been shaken by two large-scale kidnappings, according to reports from the United Nations.

The recent kidnapping of 287 grade school students in northwestern Nigeria is just the latest in a series of such incidents since the infamous Chibok abduction a decade ago.

A recent mass abduction in a region plagued by Boko Haram, followed by another incident at a primary school days later exposed the government’s apathy to contain crime and armed insurgency. Since 2014, approximately 1,500 students have been abducted in raids. While there had been a lull in such mass kidnappings in recent months, they have plagued Nigeria since the Chibok abduction garnered international attention.

According to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project, more than 3,600 individuals were reported abducted in Nigeria last year, marking the highest number in five years. However, it’s important to note that the actual figure is likely much higher, as many abduction incidents go unreported.

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Amid Nigeria’s economic turmoil, kidnapping has emerged as a thriving industry. Perpetrators often consist of bandit gangs exploiting lax policing and the widespread availability of firearms. Each abduction appears to fuel subsequent incidents, with media coverage intensifying pressure on the government to secure the hostages’ release.

Northern state governors face substantial criticism for their failure to safeguard citizens. However, upon the liberation of hostages, the government occasionally leverages the ensuing publicity. Moreover, allegations of corrupt officials skimming portions of ransom funds have surfaced, according to Nigerian analysts and media reports.

Rising insecurity in Nigeria’s northern region threatens stability and prosperity

The impoverished and educationally disadvantaged northern region of Nigeria bears the brunt of a surge in crime and insecurity.

While the government touts progress against Boko Haram and its splinter group, Islamic State in West African Province, these entities remain active and have expanded their presence beyond their northeastern origins, establishing bases, notably in Niger State, near the capital, Abuja.

However, an even graver and seemingly insurmountable challenge has emerged in the northwest, where numerous armed gangs, known as bandits, have seized control of vast territories. These groups infiltrate schools and communities, perpetrating mass killings and abductions.

They have also usurped mining sites and farmlands, coercing rural inhabitants into forced labor. The Nigerian armed forces, weary from more than a decade of internal conflicts, have made little headway in curbing the activities of these gangs.

Moreover, these criminal organizations pose a significant threat to the country’s food security, as they control regions responsible for producing a substantial portion of Nigeria’s domestically grown food.

The evolution of fulani militants into organized criminal goups

While no group has claimed responsibility for the most recent attack, it occurred in an area known for bandit activity and previous assaults on communities.

These bandits, typically from the nomadic Fulani community, initially engaged in conflict with ethnic Hausa communities in Zamfara State over land and water access. However, they have since evolved into organized armed factions specializing in ransom abduction and the seizure of farmlands and gold mines through force. There are believed to be hundreds of gangs, each with scores of armed fighters.

The lucrative business

According to Shehu Sani, a former federal lawmaker from Kaduna where the recent attack occurred, abductions are primarily aimed at securing ransom and have become a profitable venture. Sani highlighted that schoolchildren are targeted due to the anticipated public sympathy, which increases pressure on the government to meet the bandits’ demands.

Although the government denies it, sources close to negotiations confirm that both families and state governments make ransom payments, as stated by Sani.

The substantial income generated from ransom payments and other illegal activities, such as seizing farms and mines, has enabled these criminal gangs to accumulate a vast arsenal of weapons, including those capable of downing military aircraft.

Nnamdi Obasi, an advisor at the Brussels-based International Crisis Group, notes that the willingness of desperate families, besieged communities, and even state governments to pay ransoms has transformed mass kidnapping into perhaps the most profitable criminal enterprise in the northwest region.

Communities affected by these crimes are often situated in remote rural areas where governmental presence is minimal, rendering them susceptible to attacks from bandits operating in nearby forests.

Govt divergent strategies

While the federal government has adopted an official stance of armed response, certain state administrations, like those in Zamfara and Katsina, have pursued softer approaches such as negotiations and amnesty deals with the bandits. However, according to Obasi, the inability of both state and federal governments to apprehend kidnappers has contributed to a “climate of impunity,” fostering further egregious acts.

Although some gang leaders have been eliminated over the years, including a recent incident in Kaduna, this has only marginally alleviated the issue. Encouraging gang members to abandon the lucrative trade of kidnapping has proven to be a challenging task.

Timeline of some notable school kidnappings in Nigeria since 2014:

April 14, 2014: Boko Haram militants abduct 276 female students from a government secondary school in Chibok, Borno State.

February 19, 2018: A Boko Haram faction kidnaps 110 schoolgirls from a girls’ science college in Dapchi, Yobe State.

December 11, 2020: Gunmen abduct over 300 boys from a government science secondary school in Kankara, Katsina State.

February 17, 2021: Gunmen abduct 27 students, three staff members, and others from a science college in Kagara, Niger State.

February 26, 2021: Gunmen abduct over 300 schoolgirls from a boarding school in Jangebe, Zamfara State.

March 11, 2021: Gunmen abduct 39 students from the Federal College of Forestry Mechanization in Afaka, Kaduna State.

April 20, 2021: Armed men abduct at least 20 students from Greenfield University in Kaduna State.

July 5, 2021: Gunmen kidnap over 100 students from Bethel Baptist High School in Kaduna State.

March 7, 2024: Gunmen kidnap 287 students from a government secondary school in Kuriga, Kaduna State.

These abductions primarily occur in Nigeria’s troubled northern region, where insurgent Islamic militant groups and bandit factions wreak havoc, resulting in thousands of deaths. While some victims are forced into marriage with militants, most kidnappings are for ransom, and bandits also exploit communities for forced labor on seized land and mining sites. Though some attacks target colleges, the majority affect schools for younger students.