The recent rise in abductions has also led to the closure of schools in many affected states. This limits girls’ access to education, increases the likelihood of early marriage, and deepens existing gender inequalities, particularly in Northern Nigeria, where insecurity is most widespread.
A 2024 Human Rights Watch report highlights how common abductions have become in Nigeria, noting that “for many children across northern Nigeria, the pursuit of an education means facing the constant threat of abduction.
Since the 2014 abduction of the Chibok schoolgirls, the first major high-profile kidnapping linked to insurgent and terrorist groups in Nigeria, armed groups and bandits have continued to target schools across the northern region. These repeated attacks have disrupted learning, violated students’ rights to education, and exposed thousands of children to severe trauma and long-term academic setbacks.
Data from Invictus Africa shows that between 2014 and 2024, 1,754 primary and secondary school children were abducted in 20 schools across 12 states. These states include Borno, Lagos, Yobe, Niger, and others. Over these ten years, Katsina, Zamfara, Borno, and Kaduna recorded the highest number of school abductions, while Kebbi ranked sixth.
Dataphyte’s analysis of the data shows that 2021 recorded the highest number of incidents, with 765 students abducted. Over the 2014 to 2024 period, more schoolgirls were abducted than boys.
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Most recently, on November 21, the Federal Government announced the temporary closure of 44 out of 104 Unity Colleges across the country in response to the rising wave of school abductions. Unity Colleges, also known as Federal Government Colleges, are federally run secondary schools that enrol students from every region of Nigeria.
The decision followed escalating insecurity in several parts of the country, particularly in areas affected by banditry, armed raids, and broader instability, all of which have intensified concerns about the safety of students and staff.
According to the closure list released by the Federal Ministry of Education, all 18 Unity Colleges in the North-West were shut down, along with 13 of the 24 in the North-Central. In the North-East, 10 of 15 schools were closed, while 3 of the 15 schools in the South-West were affected.
Abductions continue to pull children out of the education system. According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), child abductions were verified in nearly all conflict-related incidents worldwide, with 89 per cent of confirmed cases occurring in just six countries, including Nigeria. While boys make up about three-quarters of these cases, girls remain especially vulnerable to sexual violence, exploitation, and other gender-based abuses.
Similarly, abduction and violence against children are not challenges unique to Nigeria. They are widespread across the region, with West and Central Africa emerging as the most severely affected hubs for violations against children in armed conflict. Over the past five years, both regions have consistently recorded some of the highest numbers of UN-verified violations, underscoring the scale and persistence of the crisis.
Violence faced by female victims
In 2024, Amnesty International highlighted the harrowing experiences of women and girls who escaped captivity in northern Nigeria. The organisation reported that the abuses endured by these victims have profound and long-lasting consequences, shaped by both their age and gender. Many survivors face severe health complications, disrupted access to education, reluctance or difficulty in remarrying, and widespread stigma and rejection from their families and communities.
According to the report, “once abducted, most girls were then forcibly married.” Child and forced marriage remain common practices among armed bandits, who often consider girls “of age” for marriage from early adolescence, or even younger. Amnesty International documented that at least 33 survivors of forced marriage were raped by their so-called “husbands.” Additionally, 28 survivors disclosed that they gave birth to children conceived through sexual violence, with at least 20 of them still children themselves at the time of delivery.
Examining state-level data on child marriage from the 2021 Nigeria Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) and the National Immunisation Coverage Survey (NICS), the prevalence of child marriage is higher in Northern states compared to other regions. For instance, Bauchi recorded the highest prevalence at 75%, followed by Katsina (73%), Jigawa (71%), Kebbi (62%), Zamfara (60%), and Borno, where only 7 out of 27 local government areas recorded a prevalence of 58%.
Following Dataphyte’s analysis of child marriage and out-of-school children in Nigerian states affected by school abductions, the data reveal the fluctuating prevalence across these vulnerable regions. Kebbi State ranks among the highest on both indicators, with rates exceeding 50%, closely followed by Sokoto, Zamfara, and Borno. Notably, these states are all in the northern region, suggesting that persistent abductions and prolonged insecurity may be exacerbating educational disruption and increasing children’s risk of early marriage.
For survivors, life after abduction is often marked by fear and uncertainty, extending beyond the immediate impacts of early marriage and school dropout. Many girls return to communities still experiencing insecurity, economic hardship, and limited access to humanitarian support. This highlights how reintegration and safety after captivity by armed bandits remain highly uncertain and challenging for many abducted girls in Nigeria.
A 2022 study on the psychological impact of kidnapping on abductees’ mental health and well-being found that many released schoolchildren developed various mental health conditions. These included insomnia, shortness of breath, anxiety, and other related psychological effects, reflecting the profound emotional and physiological toll of abduction.
Meanwhile, reintegrating abducted girls into their communities is a complex process, often hindered by social stigma and family rejection. Survivors may be perceived as “tainted” or associated with the armed groups that abducted them, leading to isolation and exclusion. Families, while eager to welcome their children back, may lack the resources or social support necessary to address the survivors’ emotional and physical needs.
This means that programs that focus on psychosocial support, education, and livelihood opportunities are essential to address the long-term impact of school abductions in many affected states.
(Dataphyte)