THE ALARMING RISE IN KIDNAPPINGS OF YOUNG GIRLS IN NIGERIA: A CALL FOR URGENT ACTION

If you live in Nigeria today, you can almost feel it—the tension in the air, the fear in conversations, the quiet panic of parents who pray their daughters return home safely each day. The kidnapping of young girls is no longer an isolated tragedy. It has become a national nightmare, one that is intensifying with alarming speed.

Between 2014 and 2024, Nigeria recorded several school abductions, affecting more than 1,500 children especially girls, according to various security trackers and media reports. These numbers do not tell the full story. For every case that makes the headlines, dozens never do, sadly.

Across the North-East, North-West, and Middle Belt, communities now live with a troubling reality:
“If we lose sight of our daughters for too long, anything can happen.”

REFLECTIONS ON ABDUCTIONS OF SCHOOL CHILDREN SINE 2014 AT CHIBOK

1. Save the Children (2014–2022 Data)

According to Save the Children International, more than 1,680 schoolchildren have been kidnapped in Nigeria since the 2014 Chibok abduction, with over 70 school attacks, 180 students killed, nearly 90 injured, and 60 school staff abducted during the same period (Save the Children International, 2022).

2. Expanded National Data (2014–2025)

Recent analyses show that between 2014 and 2025, at least 2,496 students were abducted across 92 verified school attacks nationwide — a figure documented by multiple media and security reporting platforms (Vanguard Nigeria, 2025).

3. Rising Abductions in 2025

In November 2025, more than 303 students and 12 teachers were abducted during an attack on a school in Niger State,  one of the largest mass abductions in Nigeria since Chibok (Africa News, 2025).

4. Underreporting of Kidnapping Incidents

Security analysts note that the true figures are likely higher because many kidnappings, especially in rural and displaced communities, go unreported due to fear, stigma, and limited access to law enforcement (Vanguard Nigeria, 2025).

5. School Safety Infrastructure Gaps

Less than 35% of schools in high-risk zones meet minimum safety standards such as fencing, trained guards, or emergency response planning — contributing significantly to vulnerability (UNICEF Nigeria, 2023).

6. Displacement and Risk

With more than 3 million internally displaced people in Nigeria, girls in IDP camps face increased kidnapping risks due to overcrowding, weak shelter structures, and insufficient community protection systems (UNHCR, 2024).

WHY THIS CRISIS IS GROWING-AND WHY GIRLS ARE THE PRIMARY TARGETS:

1. Ransom-driven kidnapping

Kidnapping has, unfortunately become a lucrative business. Families are forced to pay ransoms ranging from a hundred thousand to several millions of Naira. In some cases, communities are made to contribute collectively.

2. Exploitation and abuse

Many girls are abducted for forced labour, forced marriage, domestic servitude, or other forms of exploitation. Their silence is often bought through fear.

3. Insecurity in rural areas

A shocking number of rural communities still operate with 0–1 security posts, leaving them exposed and easy to attack.

4. Poverty and displacement

Over 3 million internally displaced people (IDPs) currently live in camps and informal settlements across Nigeria. Girls in these locations face a significantly higher risk of abduction due to poor shelter, overcrowding, and limited security.

THE DEEP EMOTIONAL AND SOCIAL IMPACT ON FAMILIES

When a girl is kidnapped, the trauma does not affect one person—it spreads like wildfire through:

• Parents who barely sleep
• Siblings who lose their sense of safety
• Communities that feel helpless and violated

Studies show that after a kidnapping incident, at least 10–50 people within the immediate community experience heightened fear, stress, or trauma.

Parents in high-risk areas now withdraw their daughters from school at rising rates, up to 40% in some communities, because they fear classrooms are no longer safe.

In addition to been a security issue, it is also developmental and human rights emergency.

ARE WE RESPONDING QUICKLY ENOUGH? THE HARD TRUTH

Despite efforts from the government, military, and NGOs, the reality is that:

• Response times often take 2–10 hours, long after the kidnappers have escaped.
• Only 10–20% of abducted victims are rescued.
• Less than 35% of schools in high-risk zones have fencing, guards, or emergency protocols.
• In many areas, communities rely more on local vigilantes than official security structures.

We cannot continue like this.

WHAT NIGERIA MUST DO NOW- BEFORE MORE GIRLS DISAPPEAR

1. Strengthen community-level security

Deploy at least one armed patrol unit per community and establish rapid response numbers that communities can call in emergencies.

2. Secure schools with urgency

Build perimeter fencing, train guards, and create school emergency protocols across all high-risk zones.

3. Invest in safe spaces for girls

Communities need 24/7 safe rooms, trauma centers, and protection officers—particularly in IDP camps and rural regions.

4. Launch national awareness campaigns

Educational messages on radio, TV, and social media could help families act fast. The first 30 minutes after a kidnapping are the most crucial.

5. Support survivors

Survivors need trauma therapy, medical care, and reintegration programs lasting 3–6 months, not just a handshake and transport fare home.

A FINAL WORD: EVERY GIRL MATTERS

When girls disappear, a piece of our nation disappears with them.

Behind every statistic is a face. A dream. A future. A family waiting at the door, listening for footsteps, praying for a miracle.

This is not just a fight for safety, it is a fight for the soul of our country.

Nigeria must do better.
We must do better.

Because protecting girls is not charity. It is our duty.

REFERENCES

• Save the Children International (2022). More than 1,680 schoolchildren kidnapped in Nigeria since Chibok girls abduction.
• Vanguard Nigeria (2025). Under siege: 2,496 students abducted in 92 school attacks since Chibok.
• Africa News (2025). Niger State school attack: Over 300 students and teachers abducted.
• UNICEF Nigeria (2023). Safe Schools Initiative Report.
• UNHCR (2024). Nigeria Protection Monitoring Data.