Mass School Abduction Reported In Nigeria’s Borno State

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - Armed men suspected of belonging to jihadist groups kidnapped dozens of schoolchildren on Friday in Nigeria’s northeastern Borno State, according to parents of the students and local residents, as reported by AFP.

The attack took place in Askira Uba, an area located on the edge of Sambisa Forest, a former natural reserve that later became a stronghold for jihadist groups operating in the region.

Residents and parents estimated that between 35 and 43 pupils were abducted from the Central Primary School in the village of Musa.

Bakr Buba, whose daughter and niece were among those kidnapped, said the attack occurred shortly after Nigerian army forces left the town.

“In less than 30 minutes, the gunmen arrived and carried out the kidnapping of children from a primary school and kindergarten,” he said, according to AFP.

Buba added that 43 children were abducted, including an infant.

Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, has been fighting jihadist organizations for the past 17 years. Kidnappings have become one of the armed groups’ most frequently used tactics, including the abduction of the Chibok schoolgirls in 2014, one of the country’s most notorious mass kidnappings.

Although violence linked to the Boko Haram insurgency that began in 2009 has declined in recent years, analysts have warned of an increase in attacks since 2025.

Large rural areas remain outside government control, while a series of mass kidnappings last year again exposed the country’s deepening security crisis.

Among those incidents was the kidnapping of hundreds of students in Niger State by Boko Haram militants, where authorities were reportedly forced to pay a large ransom to secure their release.

In addition to combating jihadist groups, Nigerian security forces are also facing pressure from criminal gangs whose activities are driven largely by financial motives rather than ideological, religious, or political goals.