Nigeria is currently experiencing an epidemic of mass kidnappings of students by armed men. 302 students have been kidnapped in 2024 alone. Since 2014, the number increases to around 1500 students. Most recently, 15 students were kidnapped from a boarding school in northwestern Nigeria. This follows the abduction of 287 students in Kuriga, just north of the country’s capital, Abuja.

These recent waves of kidnappings comes nearing the 10-year anniversary of the Chibok abduction. On April 14th, 2014, the Nigeria-based terrorist organization Boko Haram stormed an all-girls secondary school in the eastern town of Chibok and kidnapped 276 girls, who were preparing for their exams. Ninety of them are still held in captivity.

The northern region of Borno in Nigeria is experiencing heightened crime and insecurity. Though the government claims progress in combatting Boko Haram, the terrorist group is still active and has established bases throughout the country and its neighbors. Boko Haram is not the only danger, as armed gangs referred to as “bandits” have been growing as well. The bandits have seized farming lands and mines, and forced rural people to work for them, as well as imposing levies on already impoverished communities. Food security in Nigeria is threatened as a result of bandit activity, as they control land where much of the country’s food is grown. Bandit gangs consist mostly of herders who have been in conflict with host communities. The Nigerian Armed Forces have done little to stop the violence.

The goal of the abductions is to obtain lucrative ransoms in exchange for hostages. School children are targeted because Boko Haram “knows that it will evoke public sympathy for the pupils, and pressure will be mounted on the government to bow to their demands,” according to Shehu Sani, a former Nigerian lawmaker. The money accumulated from levies, seized farms and mines, and ransoms have enabled the gangs to stock up on a massive arsenal of weapons, strengthening and reinforcing their power in the region. The bandits have even accrued weapons that are able to take down military aircraft.

Northern Nigerian states already have the lowest literacy rates in the country and many students are being actively kept out of school by their parents out of fear, a trend that will likely increase because of the very real threat of kidnapping. Many affected communities live in largely rural spots, where the government is mostly absent. The communities experiencing these kidnappings have felt left behind by their government and are increasingly becoming more vocal to demand help.