How can Nigeria stop its kidnap crisis?

In November gunmen seized more than 300 pupils and a dozen teachers from a Catholic school in northern Nigeria. While authorities have rescued around 100 children, many remain missing.

Kidnapping has become a recurring reality in many parts of the country, and in late 2025 President Bola Tinubu declared the crisis a national security emergency. He pledged to boost security in remote areas, but rights groups say the true scale of abductions is hidden by widespread underreporting.

The sheer number of kidnappings has also drawn international attention. The United States President has spoken of sending troops to assist, and France’s President Emmanuel Macron has offered broader help to tackle insecurity.

This week on The Inquiry, we’re asking: How can Nigeria stop its kidnap crisis?

Contributors

Dr Kachi Madreke, politics and international relations scholar, University of Aberdeen, UK

Dr Jumo Ayandele, clinical assistant professor at New York University’s Center for Global Affairs, US

James Barnett, non-resident research fellow at the Centre on Armed Groups

Dengiyefa Angalapu, research analyst at the Centre for Democracy and Development in Abuja, Nigeria

Presenter: Tanya Beckett
Producer: Matt Toulson
Researcher: Evie Yabsley
Editor: Tom Bigwood
Technical Producer: James Bradshaw
Production Management Assistant: Liam Morrey

(Photo: Nigeria demonstration about student kidnapping. Credit: Kola Sulamon/Getty Images)