Explainer: Kidnapping in Northern Nigeria

DW (English)

Abduction in northern Nigeria has become a money-making industry, run by so-called 'bandits.' Armed groups carry out large-scale ransom kidnappings. So what has led to this crisis?

Transcript

00:00Kidnapping in Nigeria has dramatically evolved over the last decade, shifting from religiously

00:06motivated abductions to a profitable enterprise run by criminal gangs known as bandits.

00:14The most infamous incident remains the 2014 abduction of 276 schoolgirls by Boko Haram.

00:20However, in the rural northwest and central regions, kidnapping has become a business.

00:26Former nomadic headers displaced by conflicts with farmers have turned to banditry, creating

00:32armed networks that carry out large-scale ransom kidnappings.

00:37In 2023 alone, over 3,600 kidnappings were reported nationwide, marking a national crisis.

00:45Nigeria has a strong security force, so why is it so difficult to tackle this problem?

00:51If the political will is there, then the challenge can be addressed.

00:57The threat elements are known, that is those who are perpetrating the act of banditry.

01:04They are a group of renegade individuals who are challenging the supremacy of use of force

01:10by the state, and they have their reasons, whether justified or not.

01:15By 2024, the crisis had escalated, even near Abuja, in towns like Buari, Kuje, and Guagualada.

01:24Residents live in fear, with many fleeing to the city centre.

01:45High poverty and unemployment rates push many young people into banditry, while security

02:00forces lack the tools to combat them.

02:03Yet there is hope.

02:04In August 2024, Nigerian police dismantled a major kidnapping ring, seizing weapons,

02:11phones, and other tools, underscoring the growing sophistication of these criminals.

02:17The question remains, how can Nigeria end this crisis?

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