Nigeria has declared a nationwide security emergency as the country confronts one of the most severe waves of mass kidnappings in its recent history. President Bola Tinubu made the announcement on Wednesday, November 26, following a string of coordinated abductions that have left the nation shaken and security forces stretched thin.
Over the span of just a week, armed groups abducted hundreds of people across multiple states, including two dozen Muslim schoolgirls, 38 worshippers, 13 young women near a farm, 10 women and children, and more than 300 students and teachers from a Catholic boarding school in Niger State. While dozens have escaped or been rescued, 265 children and teachers remain missing, prompting urgent national mobilization.
“This is a national emergency,” President Tinubu said, pledging to deploy additional security personnel to the regions most affected by the escalating attacks. The president ordered additional recruitment into the Armed Forces, a redeployment of police VIP bodyguards back to frontline duties, and the hiring of 50,000 new police officers to reinforce overstretched units. A recent report by the European Union Agency for Asylum noted that more than 100,000 of Nigeria’s 371,000 police officers were previously assigned to protect politicians and VIPs, leaving communities vulnerable.
Nigeria has battled insecurity for decades. In addition to a 16-year jihadist insurgency in the northeast, widespread kidnappings for ransom have torn through the northwest and central regions. Heavily armed criminal gangs—often operating from camps hidden deep within vast forests spanning Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna, Niger, Kebbi, and Sokoto—continue to stage frequent attacks with little resistance due to minimal state presence.
In response, Tinubu authorized intelligence units to deploy special forest guards to “flush out terrorists and bandits” concealed in these remote areas. “The times require all hands on deck,” the president said, vowing to persist in efforts to rescue those still held captive.
The scale of the kidnapping crisis has grown to alarming levels. According to SBM Intelligence, between July 2024 and June 2025, 4,722 people were kidnapped in nearly 1,000 incidents, while kidnappers demanded 48 billion naira in ransoms—though only a fraction was ultimately paid. The report concluded that kidnapping in Nigeria has evolved into a well-organized criminal industry driven by profit.
The surge in violence comes only weeks after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened military action against Nigeria over alleged mass killings of Christians by extremist groups—a statement that heightened international scrutiny and domestic tensions. In light of the ongoing attacks, Tinubu urged both mosques and churches to bolster security during prayer gatherings, particularly in vulnerable areas.
As Nigeria mobilizes security forces and emergency measures, families across the country remain gripped by fear and uncertainty, hoping for the safe return of their loved ones and a long-term solution to the growing security crisis.
