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?
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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?