Boko Haram Kidnappings in Nigeria | Abdul Rehman, Karamala Areesh Kumar & Sounak Ghosh

In recent years, there has been an increase in kidnappings in Nigeria by various groups to use this as a tool for money. Since 2014, kidnapping has become frequent in Nigeria, especially in the Northwest and North-Central parts of the country. Initially first kidnappings were carried out in 2014 by Boko Haram which kidnapped 276 students from a girl’s school in Borno state. Since then, this tactic has been used by various groups and criminal bandits who do not have any ideological affiliation and in return seek ransom payments. The worsening of the economy as well as an increase in poverty level are the main reasons for abduction in Nigeria.

Talking about the abductors and abductees, kidnappings for ransom are becoming more frequent throughout Nigeria’s six geographical zones. The states of Zamfara, Kaduna, Borno, and Niger are the hotspots. Most of these areas are ruled by either local chiefdoms or rebel organizations, and they are cut off from official authority. The abduction culture was started in 2014 by groups operating in the Northwest and Northeast of Nigeria, such as Boko Haram and the Islamic State in West Africa Provinces (ISWAP). At the moment, it is used by bandits who ride motorcycles and kidnap large numbers of people for ransom. The majority of the abductees are members of marginalized communities, such as women, schoolgirls, and internally displaced people living in camps.

In March 2024, there was a sudden increase in kidnappings in Nigeria. On February 29, 2024, suspected Boko Haram militants abducted over 200 IDPS in the Borno state. On March 7, bandits kidnapped 287 students at the government secondary school in Kuriga town of Kaduna State. On March 9 bandits broke into a boarding school in Bakuso village of Sokoto State house and kidnapped 15 children. On March 18 over 87 people were kidnapped in Kaduna State.

Government security forces have said that they are working to release the victims without any payment, because paying anything to free hostages has been a crime in Nigeria since 2022 and anyone involved in paying to free hostages should serve a jail sentence for 15 years. The government in Nigeria has deployed soldiers and bombs to nab the armed groups.
Despite government efforts most of the northern part of Nigeria is not fully controlled by the government, Gunmen control most of the territories and carry out kidnapping on motorbikes. According to SBM intelligence over 7000 people have been kidnapped throughout Nigeria. Since President Bola Ahmed Tinubu came to power in May last year. At least 10.5 million children Park out of school in Nigeria According to UNICEF, that is because of growing insecurity due to kidnapping and insurgency, also the violence has displaced up to 1,000,000 people. The families and communities to secure the release of the victims are forced to sell their possessions such as land, cattle and grain.

The government of Nigeria should take steps to improve the economic condition of the country because the major reason for mass kidnappings is the worsening of economic conditions. Nigeria is also faced with the problem of corruption, strict measures such as proper accountability, strong legislation and transparency should be implemented at all levels so that the schemes of the government can reach the most remote regions, as well as the wealth can be used to generate employment. The government should also undertake confidence-building measures, especially in the northern region of the country because that will help the government to counter the militancy in the region. The government should also ensure that 2022 legislation regarding not paying money to release the victims should be strictly implemented.

The incapacity of the government to tackle the matter and because of insufficient law enforcement and corruption, the government has been unable to confront and resolve the issue. It is not equipped to instruct military personnel. Parents and protestors wearing red clothes went to the streets in Nigeria and other countries, calling for answers and action. Numerous social media posts have been made requesting the girls’ immediate, unconditional release and return to their homes. The global hashtags #BringBackOurDaughters and #BringBackOurGirls are spreading across all the social media platforms across the world to aware people of what is happening in Nigeria. Dozens of demonstrators gathered outside the Nigerian Embassy in Washington on Tuesday to voice their opposition to the kidnapping of the girls in an attempt to put pressure on authorities to take action against Boko Haram, the terrorist group accused of the kidnapping of 276 girls. Americans the US government to take action and become involved. Lastly, Molly Alawode, leader of the protestants said that if the government doesn’t live up to its duty of service and protect the Nigerian population, the protests would carry on.

(Authors: Abdul Rehman, PhD Scholar, Department of Political Science, St. Joseph’s University, Bengaluru-560027, Email: abdul.rehman[at]sju.edu.in, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0009-0685-780X ;
Dr. Karamala Areesh Kumar, Head, Department of International Relations, Peace and Public Policy (IRP and PP), St Joseph’s University, Bengaluru-560027, India, Email: areeshkaramalajnu[at]gmail.com, ORCID: https://orcid.org/my-orcid?orcid=0000-0002-3908-071X ;
Sounak Ghosh, Research Scholar, Department of International Relations, Peace and Public Policy (IRP and PP), St Joseph’s University, Bengaluru-560027, India, Email: sounakghosh888[at]gmail.com)