How kidnappings are hitting Nigeria’s Borno families hard

Nigeria’s Borno Families Face Unprecedented Kidnapping Toll

Maiduguri, Nigeria – Based in Maiduguri, Musa Abdullahi Wakawa was instantly plunged into dread when he learned that his wife and his seven‑year‑old son had been abducted. Fear rapidly took hold as Musa contemplated the crippling ransom demands imposed by the kidnappers.

For days, he labored to find any measure to bring his family home, enduring the overwhelming financial strain placed on the household.

Across northeastern Nigeria, families have been forced to sell livestock, seek loans, liquidate property, and exhaust all their savings in a desperate struggle to secure the release of their loved ones.

Within Borno State, the kidnapping crisis has transcended a mere security threat; it has turned into a pervasive catastrophe, resulting in monetary loss, lingering trauma, and, in several communities, forcing parents to remove their children from school.

“Please just help me with your prayers”

Laraba Dauda, 45, vividly recalls the final conversation she shared with her younger sister.

Her sister was abducted on January 13, 2026, while traveling along the Biu–Buratai road, according to Laraba.

Moments after the kidnapping, her sister called, pleading,
“Aunty, unknown persons have seized us and transported us to the bush. We do not know where they are taking us. Right now, Aunty, please just help me with your prayers,”

The conversation ended in tears. Her sister has not yet returned home. Months later, Laraba and her family still have no knowledge of her current location or her safety.

Laraba is actively urging the Nigerian government to intensify rescue operations for those still held captive.

“We need the government to provide assistance and help rescue our relatives who have been held for more than six months,”

she stated.

A Journey That Never Reached Maiduguri

For Anjikwi Hena, his son’s disappearance coincided with the family’s hope for a brighter future.

His boy was abducted on March 30, 2026,

after completing his education and preparing to travel to Maiduguri in search of employment. His father had encouraged him and prayed fervently for his success.

The young man unfortunately slipped into captivity.

Hena noted that their intense connection makes the uncertainty excruciatingly painful.

When Schools Become Unsafe

The kidnapping crisis is simultaneously eroding education in communities already weakened by prolonged rebellion.

In the Askira‑Uba Local Government Area of Borno State, only 56 of the 113 primary schools continued operating, statistics from Fasuma Askira, the local government education secretary, reveal. Prior to the May offensive in Mussa, 76 primary schools were functional.

Subsequently to the May raid in Mussa, rebels abducted dozens of children. A registry compiled by news sources later identified 40 missing youths, though figures provided by the community and authorities have fluctuated.

The Borno State government has more recently confirmed that approximately 44 children remain missing from Mussa.

Later, on June 29, armed insurgents launched a strike against Government Day Secondary School in Lassa while students were undergoing National Examinations Council assessments. Although some pupils were recovered promptly, 36 students and a teacher have so far remained in captivity.

The attacks have heightened fears among parents and educators already confronting the ever‑present threat of rebel violence.

The education authority relocated junior secondary learners from Mussa to a government boarding facility in Uba and advised the local government to station community vigilantes near schools.

Security forces, including soldiers, have likewise been deployed in Mussa and Lassa in coordination with local volunteer groups,

according to the regional report from Askira.

For families in these communities, allowing children to attend school now means weighing access to education against the risk of further attacks.

Borno’s Crisis Reflects a National Problem

The situation in Borno is part of a broader kidnapping emergency spanning Nigeria.

Amnesty International Nigeria reports that at least 1,100 individuals were abducted across the nation between January and April 2026, while issuing warnings that the actual number may be significantly higher due to unreported incidents in remote villages.

“Beyond fatalities, armed groups are now waging a campaign of abductions, primarily motivated by the promise of ransom money,”

said Isa Sanusi, director of Amnesty International Nigeria.

“Certain victims linger under the control of criminals for extended periods.”

Amnesty highlighted that victims can endure torture, starvation, and sexual violence, and that families are frequently pressured to raise revenue under extreme duress.

The organization has also cautioned that the fear of abduction is driving children out of school, especially in rural settings.

Government Says Security and Humanitarian Measures Are Under Way

Borno State Commissioner for Information and Internal Security Usman Tar announced that the government is employing both military and civilian strategies to confront insecurity.

Recognizing that the state contains several critical security hotspots, including the Biu‑Buratai corridor and the Biu‑Damboa‑Sabon Gari region,

he affirmed that the administration is implementing comprehensive kinetic and non‑kinetic measures.

“We are executing both offensive and defensive actions to resolve the problem,”

Tar declared.

He added that the state government works in tight concert with the armed forces, supplying extra logistical support and engaging civilian volunteers to assist field operations.

“These combined efforts have allowed the state to dominate the hotspot axes, with reports of reductions in attacks in affected zones,”

he continued.

Authorities are also integrating advanced technology into their response, citing drones equipped with thermal imaging to monitor suspect movements.

Furthermore, officials warned commuters to avoid dangerously contested routes when appropriate and assured that individuals implicated in kidnapping or relatedcrime will face justice.

Mr. Tar expressed regret over the psychological and humanitarian fallout affecting families.

Higher‑ranking officials have visited affected households to deliver condolences and reassurance, while the government has instituted financial aid through the State Emergency Management Agency and the state humanitarian office.

“Illuminated sums provided by the State Emergency Management Agency and the State Humanitarian Agency meet specific needs,”

Tar noted, adding that additional legitimate mechanisms exist to channel funding to beneficiated citizens.

He emphasized that “terrorism and criminality” constitute multifaceted challenges requiring solutions beyond merely military force.

“Terrorism is a transnational issue,” he asserted.

Addressing root causes, he pointed to poverty, unemployment, and illiteracy as socio‑economic factors fueling insecurity, suggesting that federal and state entities are working to improve basic access while guaranteeing that criminals are brought before the law.

When Kidnapping Becomes a Business

Security analyst Professor Khalifa Dikwa described the situation as “pathetic,” pressing concerns about the likely indefiniteness of the crisis’s conclusion.

He observed that ransom kidnapping had “evolved into a profit‑oriented enterprise,”

where disparate armed groups vie for territory and occasionally clash to assert dominance in forested areas.

According to Dikwa, the payments facilitate the financing of criminal networks, procurement of arms, and the recruitment of younger fighters.

Consequently, communities already struggling with deprivation are coerced into financing the very groups tormenting them.

Families may sell possessions to secure a single relative’s freedom, only to encounter renewed ransom demands when another cousin is abducted.

Dikwa argued that the government requires strengthened intelligence‑ and technology‑led operations to locate militant bands and interrupt the circulation of ransom proceeds.

He also called for security agencies to obtain modern weapons, night‑vision apparatus, and tracking tools, along with improved welfare for frontline operators.

For families, paying ransom remains the singular short‑term avenue to attempt saving a cherished individual. For armed groups, a successful ransom hit furnishes the material resources and motivation for additional abductions.

The Cost of Waiting

Musa remains in suspense over his wife and son. Laraba shares her own anxiety as she awaits news regarding her younger sibling.

In Askira‑Uba, 20 primary schools have ceased serving students since the Mussa assault, and numerous children remain unaccounted for.

In the closing moments of their final telephone exchange, Laraba’s sister informally states,
“This is my last word to you.”

During that call,

her sister narrated:
“Unknown parties have seized us and carried us into the bush. We have no assurance of their whereabouts. At this instant, Aunty, please just help me with your prayers,”

Laraba recounts. The call ended in grief.

Her sister has not returned home.

Several months thereafter, Laraba and his family continue to seek answers concerning her whereabouts and survival.

Laraba has appealed to the Nigerian government to accelerate efforts to rescue those whose release continues to elude them.

“Our government must intervene decisively to recover our kin who have endured over six months of confinement,”

she concludes.

Source link