Kidnappings in Nigeria's Borno State Force Families to Choose Between Ransom, Schooling and Survival

In northeastern Nigeria, the abduction of loved ones has become a grimly familiar ordeal, and for families in Borno State the consequences stretch far beyond the initial shock of a disappearance. Relatives describe draining their savings, selling livestock, borrowing money and parting with property in desperate efforts to meet ransom demands, while others wait for months without word of those held captive.

One such case is that of Musa Abdullahi Wakawa, whose wife and seven-year-old son were taken by kidnappers. According to the source account, disbelief quickly turned to fear, and then to a single pressing question: how could he raise the money being demanded for their freedom? For days, he sought a way to bring his family home, confronting the financial weight the abductors had placed on him.

The pattern repeats across the region. Families caught in the kidnapping crisis are exhausting savings and taking on debt, and in some communities parents are keeping their children out of school rather than risk another attack. The result is a crisis that combines financial ruin, psychological trauma and a growing threat to education in an area already worn down by years of insecurity.

Laraba Dauda, 45, still recalls the last conversation she had with her younger sister, who she says was abducted on January 13, 2026, along the Biu–Buratai road. Soon after the abduction, her sister managed to call from somewhere in the bush. According to Laraba's recollection, her sister said that unknown people had kidnapped them and taken them into the bush, that they did not know where they were being taken, and she asked only for prayers. The call ended in tears.

Months later, the family still has no idea where the young woman is being held or whether she is safe. Laraba has appealed to the Nigerian government to intensify rescue efforts, saying relatives need help to bring home those who have spent more than six months in captivity.

For Anjikwi Hena, the disappearance of his son came at a moment when the family was looking toward a better future. His son had finished his education and was preparing to travel to Maiduguri in search of work, a plan his father encouraged and prayed over. According to Hena, the young man was abducted on March 30, 2026, and instead of beginning a new chapter in the city, he vanished into captivity. Hena says the closeness of their relationship has made the uncertainty especially painful.

The abductions are also hollowing out education in communities already weakened by years of rebellion. In Askira-Uba Local Government Area, only 56 of 113 primary schools are currently operating, according to Fasuma Askira, the local government education secretary. Before an attack in May in the town of Mussa, 76 primary schools were functioning, but the threat of violence forced authorities to close another 20, leaving just 56 open.

On May 15, suspected rebel fighters attacked Mussa and abducted dozens of children. A register later obtained by news services identified 40 missing children, although community and government figures have differed. The Borno State government has more recently referred to about 44 children still missing from Mussa. Then, on June 29, armed rebels attacked the Government Day Secondary School in Lassa while students were sitting National Examinations Council examinations. Some students were recovered shortly afterward, but 36 students and a teacher were reported to remain in captivity.

The attacks have deepened fear among parents and teachers who already live with the threat of rebel violence. The education authority moved junior secondary students from Mussa to a government boarding school in Uba and advised the local government to deploy community vigilantes around schools. Soldiers have also been stationed in Mussa and Lassa alongside local vigilantes, according to Askira. For families in these communities, keeping a child in school now means weighing access to education against the risk of further attacks.

Borno's ordeal reflects a national problem. Amnesty International Nigeria says at least 1,100 people were abducted across the country between January and April 2026, while warning that the true figure could be considerably higher because many incidents in remote communities go unreported. Isa Sanusi, director of Amnesty International Nigeria, said that beyond killing people, gunmen are now on a rampage of abductions, largely for lucrative ransom, and that some victims stay for months at the mercy of gunmen in punishing conditions.

The organization says victims can face torture, starvation and sexual violence, while families are often forced to raise money under extreme pressure. Amnesty has also warned that the fear of abduction is pushing children out of school, particularly in rural communities.

Borno State Commissioner for Information and Internal Security Usman Tar said the government was using both military and nonmilitary measures to confront the insecurity. He acknowledged that the state has several security hotspots, including the Biu-Buratai axis and the Biu-Damboa-Sabon Gari area. "We are putting in place both kinetic and non-kinetic measures in order to overcome the problem," Tar said.

He said the state government was working closely with the armed forces by providing additional logistical support and civilian volunteers to assist field operations, which he said had enabled authorities to dominate the hotspot axis and reduced attacks in some affected areas. The government is also deploying technology, including drones equipped with thermal capabilities to monitor the movement of criminals, Tar said. Authorities, he added, were advising commuters to avoid dangerous routes where necessary and working to ensure that those involved in kidnapping and other criminal activities are prosecuted.

Tar acknowledged the humanitarian and psychological impact on families. He said senior government officials had visited affected families to offer condolences and reassurance, while authorities also provided financial assistance through the State Emergency Management Agency and the state humanitarian agency.