Gunshots shattered the serene environment of classrooms in Yawota, Oyo State, Nigeria. At about 9 a.m. on May 15, armed men dressed in military camouflage opened fire sporadically, abducting 46 people, including seven teachers and 39 students. What began as a normal school day quickly turned into chaos, as the gunmen forcefully took pupils away. Among the victims were very young children, some as young as two and three years old.

This was months after President Bola Tinubu assured Nigerians at the Second National Economic Council (NEC) Conference in Abuja that he would defeat terrorism and banditry.

A day after the Oyo student’s kidnap, the extremist group, Boko Haram, which has terrorised Nigeria for over 17 years, abducted 42 students from Government Day Secondary School (GDSS), Mussa, in Askira/Uba Local Government Area.

The spate of abductions continues to rise, with children increasingly becoming the primary targets of these attacks. On April 26, 2026, gunmen abducted 23 pupils from the Daarul-Kitab Islamic Orphanage in the Zariagi community near Lokoja, the capital of Kogi State.

Insecurity worsens, and not all eventually make it back home

The story of insecurity in Nigeria is not new; it is a slow-burning crisis that has stretched across years, leaving scars on communities and, most painfully, on schoolchildren.

It was in 2014 that the world first paused to pay attention. In Chibok, Borno State, 276 schoolgirls were taken at night. Their abduction sparked global outrage and gave birth to an international movement. Yet, even with worldwide pressure and rescue efforts, not all of the girls have found their way back home.

But Chibok was not the end; it was only the beginning of a pattern.

In 2020, 344 schoolboys were abducted in Kankara, Katsina State. The following year, the crisis deepened as hundreds of students were taken from schools in Kagara, Jangebe, and Bethel Baptist High School in Kaduna State. Classrooms, once places of learning and laughter, became targets.

The years that followed carried the same grim rhythm. In 2024, 137 students were kidnapped in Kuriga, Kaduna State. By November 2025, another 25 schoolgirls were taken in Maga, Kebbi State. That same month, 303 students were abducted from St. Mary’s Catholic School in Niger State.

For some, the story ends in reunion, tears of relief, and embraces that linger longer than usual. But for others, there is no return. Some draw their last breath in captivity, far from the safety of home. This was the tragic fate of two teachers kidnapped in Yawota, Oyo State.

Tinubu’s promises continue to fall short as insecurity continues to cause fear and panic across the country.

Ending insecurity was at the top of President Tinubu’s agenda when he clinched power in 2023. He promised to defend the nation from terror and all forms of criminality that threaten the peace and stability of the country.

However, recent data reveal that Nigeria remains one of the most terror-affected countries globally, recording over 14,500 conflict-related deaths between June 2025 and May 2026, second only to Sudan in the Sahel region.

Despite not ranking highest in fatalities, Nigeria is still among the world’s top 5 countries most impacted by terrorism (4th in GTI 2026), placing it alongside countries like Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger as a major hotspot of insecurity.

Kidnapping is becoming a lucrative business

Kidnapping, a grave crime punishable by life imprisonment or even the death penalty, is increasingly turning into a lucrative enterprise in Nigeria.

Data from the Nigeria Security Tracker (NST) shows that 19,366 Nigerians were kidnapped in 2,694 incidents over a ten-year period, up to June 2023. The crisis has continued to escalate. In 2025 alone, 3,033 people were abducted between January and December.

The trend has shown no signs of slowing. In 2026, Amnesty International reported that at least 1,100 people were kidnapped within just three months, from January to April.

Behind these numbers lies a growing economy of fear. With millions extracted from victims’ families, kidnapping has evolved into a profitable venture for criminal groups exploiting an already fragile system.

Between May 2023 and April 2024, an estimated ₦2.23 trillion was paid in ransom, an amount exceeding the federal government’s allocation to education, and far surpassing what was budgeted for health and infrastructure in 2024.

People stage their kidnappings for money

As kidnapping becomes more financially rewarding, there is a disturbing pattern of individuals allegedly staging their own abductions in a desperate bid to cash in on the crisis. In Edo state, a woman faked her kidnap and demanded N50m from her family. She was later caught by the police at a hotel with her lover.

In Anambra, a lady and her boyfriend faked their own abduction, demanding N15 million as ransom from family members.

Young Nigerians have started to see these abductions as a way of survival. In 2025, Lagos State Police Command arrested five suspects, including four teenagers aged between 15 and 19, for allegedly staging a fake kidnapping and circulating a distress video to extort money from the family of a schoolboy.