Gunmen in Nigeria kidnapped more than 30 people over the weekend across separate attacks, according to security sources, as authorities face renewed scrutiny over rising mass abductions.
A security report prepared for the United Nations and seen by AFP stated that armed groups, often referred to as “bandits,” carried out twin assaults on the villages of Unguwar Tsamiya and Dabawa in Kano State, abducting at least 25 residents.
Kidnappings are uncommon in this northern commercial hub.
In northeastern Borno State, the epicentre of a long-running jihadist insurgency, nine onion farmers were reportedly kidnapped by suspected jihadists, said militia commander Tijjani Ahmed.
Kidnapping for ransom has plagued Nigeria since the 2014 abduction of 276 schoolgirls in Chibok by Boko Haram.
Recent weeks have seen hundreds of schoolchildren kidnapped, prompting the UN to warn of a “surge in mass abductions.”
Meanwhile, the United States has criticized Nigeria over what it calls the mass killing of Christians, even threatening military intervention.
Nigerian authorities and analysts reject this framing, noting the country faces widespread ethnic and religious conflicts.
November alone saw roughly 400 people kidnapped, including over 300 schoolchildren, according to AFP.
Statistics remain difficult to verify, as many cases go unreported.
Between July 2024 and June 2025, at least 4,722 people were kidnapped in 997 incidents, with 762 fatalities, according to SBM Intelligence.
The report described Nigeria’s kidnap-for-ransom crisis as a “structured, profit-seeking industry,” estimating that kidnappers earned about 2.57 billion naira (~$1.66 million) in ransom.
Bandits, often motivated by money rather than ideology, carry out kidnappings, extortion, and looting, particularly in areas with limited state presence.
While government efforts have occasionally brokered peace deals with bandits, critics argue these agreements often allow the criminals to keep arms and use truce zones as bases for further attacks.
President Bola Tinubu said last November that the recent abduction of schoolgirls in Kebbi State and killings of soldiers in Borno left him “depressed.”
He called on communities to assist security forces with vital information, warning that “those who threaten the safety of our citizens will face the full weight of the Nigerian state.”
