Nigeria’s president, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has deployed troops to rescue over 250 children abducted by gunmen from a school in the north-west of the country. This marks one of the largest mass abductions in recent years. The incident occurred in Kaduna state, the second mass kidnapping in Nigeria within a week. Criminal gangs, heavily armed and operating on motorbikes, have been targeting villages, schools, and highways in search of ransom payments. The recent abductions have posed a significant challenge to President Tinubu’s commitment to improving security in Nigeria and attracting foreign investment.
During the attack at the GSS Kuriga school in Chikun district, at least one person was shot dead. Some staff and students managed to escape when the gunmen, known as bandits, attacked, firing shots in the air. Conflicting reports suggest that between 200 and 280 children and teachers were abducted, with local officials working to confirm the exact number. The incident follows another mass kidnapping in north-east Borno state, highlighting the complex security situation in the country.
President Tinubu expressed confidence in the rescue mission and issued a statement ordering the armed forces to track down the kidnappers, emphasizing that nothing less than decisive justice is acceptable. These abductions come nearly a decade after the infamous kidnapping of over 250 schoolgirls by Boko Haram in Chibok, Borno state, with some of those girls still missing.
Mass abductions of schoolchildren have become increasingly common in Nigeria’s north-west and central regions over the past three years. The victims are usually released after ransom payments, and Unicef has condemned these attacks, urging the government to enhance student protection. Nigeria’s armed forces are currently engaged on multiple fronts, addressing armed criminal activities in the north-west and an ongoing jihadist insurgency in the north-east.
In the broader context, between July 2022 and June 2023, there were 582 kidnapping incidents in Nigeria, resulting in the abduction of 3,620 people, according to local risk analysts SBM Intelligence. Since President Tinubu took office in May last year, a total of 4,777 people have been abducted. The security situation in the country remains a significant concern, with ongoing efforts to address the various challenges.
