By Ochiaka Ugwu
Amnesty International has raised alarm on the spate of kidnappings in Nigeria revealing that over 1,100 people have been kidnapped in Northern Nigeria within the space of three months between January and April 2026.
In a statement posted on its X handle formally twitter Sunday, the World Right’s body urged Nigerian Government to take urgent action to curtail the rising insecurity, especially in Northern Nigeria.
According to the statement, “President Bola Tinubu and his government must urgently address the country’s horrifying spate of abductions targeting rural communities and internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the northern part of the country, as at least 1,100 people have been abducted in three months – from January to April 2026.”
The organization stated that victims were often subjected to severe abuses, including torture, starvation, rape and forced involvement in violent acts.
It noted that, “Apart from killing people, gunmen are now on a rampage of abductions – largely for lucrative ransom. Some stay months at the mercy of gunmen in punishing situations.
“Estimates of the number of abductions by gunmen and armed groups across Nigeria vary, and some of the commonly cited figures vastly understate the scale of the problem,” said Director of Amnesty International Nigeria, Isa Sanusi.
The body pointed out incidents across states, including a February 3 attack on Woro village in Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State, where 200 people were reportedly killed and 176 abducted.
It also noted the abduction of 150 people in early April in Bukkuyum Local Government Area of Zamfara State, and the kidnapping of over 100 displaced persons by Boko Haram fighters in March near Mafa in Borno State.
Amnesty informed that more than 400 people were abducted in Ngoshe, Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State, on March 3, while 57 people were kidnapped in Niger State in January.
“On March 30, 18 passengers in a commercial vehicle travelling from Abuja to Sokoto were abducted along Mayanci in a part of Zamfara State.
“On February 19, 2026, 92 people were abducted by an armed group in Zamfara State. A total of 42 people were abducted in Anka Local Government Area, and another 50 were separately abducted in Tsafe Local Government Area.
“On January 18, 2026, gunmen carried out a mass abduction by attacking three churches at Kurmin Wali village in Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State during a morning worship service. At least 166 people were abducted. It was reported that they were released later,” it added.
Similarly, in Benue State, Amnesty reported that at least 17 people were killed in Mbalom during Easter celebrations, with over 500,000 people already displaced by recurring attacks. It said many displaced persons are living in poor conditions without adequate access to water, food or healthcare.
Quoting an affected person from Woro community in Kwara State who narrated his tribulations, Amnesty stated thus, “They (attackers) didn’t just kill; they stole our life away.
“They abducted 176 people, including my second wife and my three daughters. One of them is only two years old. I have seen the video they posted on social media.
“I heard my wife’s voice. I saw my people. It has been almost two months now, and they are still in that forest”.
The body cautioned that the wave of abductions was impoverishing families and households into untold hardship, with some selling all their belongings or resorting to community fundraising to pay ransom, with those who could not meet their demands often killed.
“In almost all cases of these abductions, people were also killed, homes and shops looted and razed. In some cases, families must dispose of everything they have to pay ransom, while villages often crowdsource to rescue their people.
“Those who could not pay are sometimes either killed, disappeared or tortured more. What we are witnessing right now in the northern part of Nigeria is a crisis of abduction that increasingly endangers lives,” Sanusi said.
While frowning at Nigerian authorities for failing to meet their constitutional and international obligations to protect citizens, Amnesty said the fear of abduction was disrupting education, with many children forced out of school, while underage girls are pushed into early marriage to avoid being targeted.
“This failure by the authorities to promote and ensure the security and safety of the population constitutes a serious breach of their human rights obligations, including under the Nigerian Constitution and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, to which Nigeria is a state party,” Sanusi added.
The Amnesty’s report was coming on the heels of widespread banditry and insurgency in the North-West and North-East of Nigeria.
However, President Bola Tinubu has vowed on Thursday that Nigeria would defeat terrorism, declaring that the killing of Brigadier General Oseni Braimah and others by Boko Haram insurgents in Borno State would not weaken the country’s resolve to end the prolonged insurgency.
Tinubu who made this known in a release by his Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, urged the leadership of the Armed Forces and all soldiers on the frontline not to be discouraged by the severity of their challenges in the war theatre, stressing that the nation remains appreciative of their sacrifices.
