Nigeria’s education sector remains under severe threat as a new investigative report has revealed that 2,496 students have been abducted in 92 separate school attacks since the 2014 Chibok abductions. The report, compiled from police records, eyewitness accounts, and data from UNICEF and Save the Children, paints a grim picture of rising insecurity in schools across the country.
According to the findings, between April 2014 and December 2022, at least 1,680 students were kidnapped in over 70 attacks targeting educational institutions. The trend worsened between January 2023 and November 2025, with an additional 816 students abducted in 22 incidents, most of which occurred in northern Nigeria.
Security experts say the shift from ideological terrorism to financially motivated banditry is driving the surge, especially in the North-West and North-Central regions. The report also highlights persistent gaps in protection measures, noting that only 37 percent of schools in high-risk states have basic early-warning systems, leaving thousands of learners vulnerable.
The consequences extend beyond the numbers. Many affected communities continue to suffer trauma, prolonged school closures, and rising dropout rates. Education advocates warn that the repeated attacks and alleged ransom payments risk normalizing kidnappings as a profitable enterprise.
They are now calling on government authorities to implement stronger safe-school policies, expand community-based intelligence networks, and ensure accountability for attackers who “operate with little fear of consequences.”
With the education system still reeling from the impact of the Chibok tragedy more than a decade later, the latest figures underscore the urgent need for coordinated national action to protect Nigeria’s children.
