Kidnappings for Ransom Squeeze Families in Borno, Nigeria

In Maiduguri, Nigeria, when Musa Abdullahi Wakawa learned that his wife and seven-year-old son had been kidnapped, disbelief quickly gave way to fear. Then came the question facing many families caught in Nigeria's abduction crisis: how to raise the ransom being demanded.

For days, Musa tried everything to bring his family home, struggling under the financial burden imposed by the kidnappers. Across northeastern Nigeria, families are selling livestock, taking on debt, liquidating assets and emptying their savings in the hope of ransoming loved ones.

In Borno State, kidnapping has far outgrown a security threat. Families lose money, live with the psychological trauma of a relative's abduction, and in some communities children are forced out of school.

'Please just pray for us'

Laraba Dauda, 45, still remembers her last conversation with her younger sister. According to Laraba, her sister was abducted on January 13, 2026, along the Biu–Buratai road.

Immediately after the abduction, the phone rang. Her sister was calling from somewhere in the forest.

"Auntie, strangers have kidnapped us and taken us to a place in the forest. We don't know where they are taking us. Right now, auntie, please just pray for us," Laraba recounted her sister saying.

The call ended in tears. Her sister has not returned. Months later, Laraba and her family still do not know where she is being held or whether she is safe.

Laraba called on the Nigerian government to step up efforts to rescue those still in captivity. "We need the government to come and help and rescue our relatives, who have been held for more than six months," she said.

A journey that never reached Maiduguri

For Anjikwi Hena, his son's disappearance came just as the family was heading toward a better future. According to Hena, his son was abducted on March 30, 2026.

The young man had finished his education and was preparing to travel to Maiduguri to look for work. His father encouraged him and prayed for his success. Instead, the young man vanished into captivity.

Hena said the close bond between father and son makes the uncertainty even more painful.

When schools become unsafe

The kidnapping crisis is also threatening education in communities already weakened by years of conflict. In the Askira-Uba local government area of Borno State, only 56 of 113 primary schools are still operating, according to Fasuma Askira, the local government's education secretary.

Before the May attack in Mussa, 76 primary schools were operating. The risk of further violence then forced authorities to shut another 20 schools, leaving 56 open.

On May 15, gunmen suspected to be insurgents attacked Mussa and abducted dozens of children. A register obtained by news services afterward identified 40 missing children, though community and government figures differ. The Borno State government recently cited about 44 children from Mussa still missing.

On June 29, gunmen attacked Government Day Secondary School in Lassa while students were sitting exams for the National Examinations Council. Some students were freed shortly after the attack, but 36 students and one teacher were reported to remain in captivity.

The attacks have deepened the fear of parents and teachers already living under the threat of insurgent violence. The education authority has moved junior secondary school students from Mussa to a government boarding school in Uba and recommended that local authorities deploy community militias around schools. Soldiers have also been deployed in Mussa and Lassa alongside local militias, according to Askira.

For families in these communities, sending children to school now means weighing access to education against the risk of further attack.

Borno's crisis reflects a national problem

The situation in Borno is part of a wider kidnapping crisis across Nigeria. Amnesty International Nigeria says at least 1,100 people were abducted nationwide between January and April 2026, warning that the true figure is likely far higher because many cases in remote communities go unreported.

"In addition to killing people, gunmen are now on a kidnapping spree, largely for lucrative ransoms," said Isa Sanusi, director of Amnesty International Nigeria. "Some are held for months in harsh conditions, at the mercy of the gunmen."

According to Amnesty International, victims can be tortured, starved and subjected to sexual violence, while families are often forced to raise money under extreme pressure. The organization also warned that fear of abduction is pushing children out of school, particularly in rural communities.

Government says security and humanitarian measures are under way

Borno State Commissioner for Information and Internal Security Usman Tar said the authorities are using both military and non-military measures to tackle insecurity. He acknowledged the state has multiple security hotspots, including the Biu-Buratai axis and the Biu-Damboa-Sabon Gari area.

"We are deploying both kinetic and non-kinetic measures to overcome the problem," Tar said. He said the state government is working closely with the armed forces by providing additional logistics support and civilian volunteers to assist field operations. "This has helped us control the hotspot axis," he said, adding that attacks have declined in some affected areas.

According to Tar, the authorities are also using technology in their response, including heat sensor-equipped drones to track criminal movements. Authorities advise travelers to avoid dangerous routes when necessary, and are working to ensure those involved in kidnapping and other criminal activities are prosecuted.

Tar acknowledged the humanitarian and psychological impact on families. He said senior government officials have visited affected families to console and reassure them, and that authorities provide financial support through the State Emergency Management Agency and the state humanitarian agency.

"There are fixed amounts provided through the State Emergency Management Agency and the State Humanitarian Agency," Tar said, adding that other legal mechanisms are used to fund affected families. He said the authorities see "terrorism and criminality" as problems requiring more than military action. "Terrorism is a multinational issue," he said, pointing to poverty, unemployment and illiteracy as socioeconomic factors that can fuel insecurity, and saying federal and state authorities are working to improve people's access to basic needs while ensuring criminals face the law.

When kidnapping becomes a business

Security analyst Professor Khalifa Dikwa described the kidnapping situation as "tragic," warning there is no clear sign the crisis will end soon. He said ransom kidnapping has "degenerated into a lucrative enterprise," with various armed groups competing for territory and sometimes fighting each other for advantage in the forests.

According to Dikwa, ransoms help sustain criminal networks, fund weapons purchases and attract young recruits. That creates a vicious cycle in which communities already struggling with poverty are forced to finance the very groups terrorizing them.

Families may sell assets to ransom one relative, only to face another ransom demand when someone else is abducted. Dikwa argued the government needs stronger intelligence- and technology-driven operations to locate armed groups and cut off ransom flows. He also called for security agencies to be equipped with modern weapons, night-vision equipment and tracking technology, along with improved welfare for soldiers and other security personnel on the front lines.

For families, paying a ransom can be the only immediate way to try to save a loved one. For armed groups, successful ransoms can provide the resources and incentive to carry out more abductions.

The cost of waiting

Musa is waiting for his wife and young son. Laraba is waiting for her sister. Hena is waiting for the son who was about to leave home to look for work.

In Askira-Uba, 20 primary schools have closed since the Mussa attack, while dozens of children remain unaccounted for. In her final call, Laraba's sister told her: "This is my last communication."