School kidnappings are a regular occurrence in Nigeria. Over the past decade, it has become a lucrative business for criminal groups Since 276 girls from a government secondary school in the Nigerian town of Chibok were kidnapped by a terrorist group in 2014, mass abductions of children and teenagers have become a regular occurrence in the country. In total, over 1,680 minors have been kidnapped over 10 years, most of them between the ages of 5 and 11. In 2024 alone, criminals kidnapped six students and three teachers in Ekiti State, 17 students from a girls' boarding school in Sokoto State, 287 students and staff from a school in Kaduna State, and more than 400 people, mostly children and women, from a camp for displaced persons in Borno State. The situation that has developed in Nigeria is largely due to the difficult political and economic situation in the country. For terrorist organizations, mass kidnappings are a tool to influence governments and local communities; for gangs that engage in violence, the only goal is to obtain ransom, which constitutes a significant part of their income.
