Spiraling Security in Nigeria reflected by Mass Kidnappings

The northern African nation of Nigeria is facing a spiraling security crisis characterized by mass kidnappings in its northern region caused by armed “bandit” groups, as well as Boko Haram, an Islamic jihadist organization. While the bandit groups are known to kidnap for ransom, Boko Haram is known for specifically kidnapping girls and young women from predominantly Christian schools because of the group’s strict Islamic beliefs.

Nigeria’s kidnapping crisis began in April 2014 when Boko Haram abducted 276 schoolgirls from the town of Chibok. Fifty-seven of the girls escaped by jumping from the trucks shortly after their capture, while 80 were released in prisoner exchanges following negotiations between the government and the jihadist group. Boko Haram, which roughly translates to “Western education is forbidden” in Hausa, opposes the current secular nature of the Nigerian state, and calls for its replacement with an Islamic one with strict compliance to Sharia law. Primarily operating in the northeast of the country, particularly in Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe, it often targets Westerners, Christians, and Muslims considered “infidels,” using violent tactics such as improvised explosive devices (IED), vehicle-borne IEDs, and female suicide attacks.

According to a report by Human Rights Watch, women and girls who were rescued from the group have stated they were subjected to physical and psychological abuse including forced labor, forced conversion to Islam, and participation in military operations including carrying ammunition or luring men into ambushes. Many were also forced to marry their captors, which lead to sexual abuse and rape.

In late February 2024, suspected Boko Haram insurgents abducted over 200 internally displaced people, mostly women in the Borno state of Nigeria. Soon after, in late February, bandits kidnapped 287 students from a government secondary school in the central Kaduna state, many of whom were girls. Two days later, bandits broke into a boarding school in the northwestern Sokoto state, capturing 15 children. Less than two weeks later, 87 women and children were reported to have been taken by gunmen in Kaduna once again. Combined, more than 500 people have been kidnapped in the four 2024 cases by both the bandit groups and Boko Haram. Many of the victims are women, speaking largely to both Nigeria’s security issue and creating a demographic threat.

Shortly after the February abduction, the Nigerian President's account posted a press release  that he is “confident that the victims will be rescued” and that “nothing else is acceptable.” He also stated that “justice will be decisively administered.” This event was also condemned by the United Nations, who urged parties to adhere to their obligations under international humanitarian law to protect civilians from harm.

Although early on, Boko Haram did not specifically target women, only authorities of the “unjust and corrupt system” that it was fighting against. It would launch small-scale attacks against the military and police as well as religious leaders critical of the group.  By 2012, schools and students had become increasing centers for assault. Videos released by Boko Haram’s leaders in 2013 indicated three primary reasons for their abductions: retaliation against the government for allegedly detaining family members, including leaders' wives; punishing students for attending Western schools; and forcibly converting Christian women and girls to Islam.

As a result, the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF), which Nigeria is a member of, was authorized in 2015 to respond to the threats posed by Boko Haram, organized crime, and banditry in the Lake Chad Basin. Consisting of the militaries of its member states, including Benin, Cameroon, Chad, and Niger, the joint force has carried out periodic operations, often involving troops from one country fighting in the country next door, yet has still been subject to criticism for its effectiveness. The Crisis Group has found that member states’ commitment to the MNJTF is “inconsistent,” generating funding problems and disjointed planning.

The U.S. military has also increased its presence in the Sahel, deploying approximately 1,500 troops to the region and building a drone base in Niger as a platform for strikes against groups across West and North Africa. In 2017, three years after the initial kidnapping case, the British military reportedly trained 28,000 Nigerian troops to aid in the preparation to “turn the tide” against Boko Haram.

Some victims were found after troops dislodged one of its camps, and others have been found with children of their own. One woman, Hauwa Joseph, said she was married off and ultimately had a child with an insurgent man. Other kidnappees were reportedly killed in military bombardments.

The incident generated the #BringBackOurGirls movement, which advocated for the “speedy and effective” search and rescue of all the abducted girls and women as well as a “rapid containment and quelling” of insurgency in the country. The movement was endorsed by many known figures such as former President Barack Obama, former First Lady Michelle Obama, civil rights campaigner Malala Yousafzai, former British Prime Minister David Cameron, and Hollywood actor Angelina Jolie. The campaign has been recognized for attracting international attention to the cause. Despite the campaign being deemed effective, the government response was criticized for lacking “adequate energy, coordination, clarity, consistency, and transparency.”

Nevertheless, Nigeria's security forces are often occupied fighting the Islamist insurgency in the northeast, leaving vast amounts of land unpoliced and vulnerable to armed gangs. Since 2014, bandits have adopted kidnappings for ransom to profit off of, which leads to the release of the victims, but rarely the punishment of the kidnappers. Mass abductions are a low risk for these groups because of nonexistent consequences, who will continue to prosper until an effective response can be made. To combat this, payment of a ransom to secure a victim’s release was made illegal via a 15-year jail term in 2022, after the passage of a law which additionally made abduction punishable by death, if the kidnappees die.

Internal displacement has been one of the major impacts of Boko Haram attacks. According to a 2021 United Nations report,  more than 1.8 million Nigerians are displaced in Adamawa, Borno, and Yobe states. The displaced victims, according to the report, often live in unfavorable conditions and lack access to adequate food and services. The displacement caused many to lose their incomes and livelihoods, causing a reduction in agricultural production and trade and a decrease in the economy, leaving the country not only vulnerable and terror-stricken, but reliant on humanitarian assistance.

In terms of health, the persistence of Boko Haram has destroyed crucial health infrastructure, according to the report, “degrading living conditions” for the population, and overall a significant decline in quality of life, especially among children. 

As families seek refuge from conflict zones, displaced children are suffering the consequences of lost education opportunities. Some families fear abduction and thus choose to keep their children at home, while some need to stay home to help their families recover from the influences of the abductions. Between 2014 and early 2017, Boko Haram destroyed roughly 1,500 schools while claiming over 1,200 students and teachers as casualties, according to the report. 

Interestingly, these kidnappings are mass abductions rather than individual ones, which some say is attributed to the declining profitability of individual kidnappings for ransom. Nigeria grapples with a multitude of security issues including conflicts between herdsmen and farmers, separatist movements, incidents of piracy, violence stemming from oil theft, and jihadist insurgencies such as Boko Haram. Kidnapping, identified by the  Nigerian analysis firm SBM Intelligence, is a common feature across these challenges, with ransom payments being the primary motivation.

Hopefully, the Nigerian government will begin to develop the necessary tools, strategies, and personnel needed to prevent and respond to these attacks. Nigeria will hopefully work towards protecting its girls and women, and provide them with the necessary resources to recover in incidents of abduction and rape. Ultimately, however, this is an issue of domestic security, and the Nigerian government has proven incapable of protecting its children at school and its young girls and women from abduction, rape, and forced cooperation. The Nigerian government is failing to both prevent and respond to attacks and in doing so is jeopardizing the citizens of its northern region it falls victim to the actions of insurgency and ransom-seeking groups.