Armed groups kidnapped nearly three dozen people in a series of coordinated attacks across northern Nigeria over the weekend, security sources confirmed on Monday. The incidents have intensified scrutiny on the government's handling of a relentless kidnapping crisis plaguing the nation.
Weekend of Terror in Northern Villages
According to a security report prepared for the United Nations and seen by the AFP news agency, armed bandits struck twice in Kano state. The assailants targeted the villages of Unguwar Tsamiya and Dabawa, abducting at least 25 residents in total. Kidnappings of this scale are uncommon in Kano, which is a major commercial centre for Nigeria's north.
In a separate incident in the northeast, nine onion farmers were seized in Borno state, the region most affected by a prolonged jihadist insurgency. A local militia commander, Tijjani Ahmed, stated that suspected jihadists were behind this abduction.
A Crisis Turned Criminal Industry
The menace of kidnappings for ransom has haunted Nigeria since the infamous 2014 abduction of 276 schoolgirls from Chibok by Boko Haram. Recent weeks have seen a disturbing resurgence, with hundreds of schoolchildren taken, prompting the United Nations to warn of a "surge in mass abductions."
Statistics on kidnapping are notoriously difficult to confirm, as many cases go unreported. However, a recent report by Lagos-based security firm SBM Intelligence provides stark figures. Between July 2024 and June 2025, at least 4,722 people were kidnapped in 997 separate incidents, with at least 762 killed.
The report concluded that Nigeria's kidnap-for-ransom crisis has consolidated into a structured, profit-seeking industry. During that one-year period, kidnappers are estimated to have collected roughly 2.57 billion naira (about $1.66 million) in ransom payments.
Government Response and International Pressure
These criminal bandits, motivated primarily by financial gain rather than ideology, operate with impunity in areas with minimal state security presence. Government strategies have sometimes involved negotiating peace deals with these groups, a tactic critics say allows bandits to retain their weapons and use truce areas as bases for further attacks.
The wave of violence has drawn international concern. The United States has issued strong criticism, even threatening military intervention over what it terms the mass killing of Christians. The Nigerian government and independent analysts, however, reject this characterization, pointing out that the nation's myriad conflicts result in casualties across both ethnic and religious lines.
President Bola Tinubu, speaking in November, expressed his distress over recent abductions of schoolgirls in Kebbi State and the killing of soldiers in Borno. He called on communities to support security forces by sharing vital information. "Those who threaten the safety of our citizens will face the full weight of the Nigerian state," Tinubu declared.
As the country grapples with this escalating security challenge, the latest kidnappings in Kano and Borno serve as a grim reminder that the lucrative trade in human lives continues to thrive.
