For more than a decade, learners in Nigeria have walked into classrooms with a fear that should never belong in childhood. Since the night of April 14, 2014, when 276 schoolgirls were taken from Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, the country has endured a bitter cycle of school kidnappings that has reshaped education in its northern regions and even beyond, and has left lasting wounds on families and communities.
Abductions in Nigeria have come in waves, some carried out by terrorists driven by extremist ideologies, and others by bandits who view children as bargaining items. For this reason, grief has been constant in Nigeria for over a decade. Family members and friends live in constant fear for the lives of their loved ones.
In the eleven years since Chibok, well over 1,600 schoolchildren have been kidnapped in Nigeria, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and Save the Children. Several schools across the North East, North West and North Central have been forced to shut down due to fears of attacks.
There are also reports that these recurring mass abductions have increased absenteeism, with one in three Nigerian children out of school in 2022. Communities that were once built around the pride of education now wrestle with the trauma of knowing that school has become a hunting ground.
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Gunmen’s activities have intensified in the country recently amid claims of targeted violence against people of the Christian faith.
This timeline revisits the most significant school abductions in Nigeria since the Chibok incident and what must change to prevent future occurrences.
1. Chibok, Borno State — 14 April 2014
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The kidnapping of 276 schoolgirls from the Nigerian town of Chibok in July 2015 sparked a global campaign to “Bring Back Our Girls”
This is the attack that shook the world. Boko Haram terrorists stormed the Government Girls Secondary School late at night and took more than 270 girls. The abduction sparked the global #BringBackOurGirls movement and placed international pressure on the Nigerian government.
Eleven years later, dozens remain missing. Those who returned came home changed, as many came back home with children born in captivity and others with invisible scars.
2. Igbonla Model College, Lagos — 25 May 2017
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The released Igbonla Model College students.
Armed men reportedly stormed this school in Epe and abducted six boys after exchanging gunfire with security personnel. The kidnappers moved them through remote creeks and forests, and after 65 days, the boys were released after a ransom was paid.
3. Dapchi, Yobe State — 19 February 2018
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A cross section of freed Dapchi girls
This abduction was very similar to that of Chibok. After negotiations, most of the girls were returned by the terrorists themselves. Although it was reported that five girls died of suffocation while they were being transported. 107 out of the 110 missing Dapchi girls (105 Dapchi school girls and two others) were officially documented to have been released.
4. Kankara, Katsina State — 11 December 2020
It was reported that on December 11, 2020, gunmen on motorcycles invaded Government Science Secondary School, Kankara, abducted 344 students and marched them into the forest. They were later released after some days of intense negotiations.
5. Mahuta, Katsina State — 20 December 2020
Just days after the Kankara abduction, there was another hit. Over 80 children from the Madrasa of Hizburrahim Islamiyya were kidnapped in Katsina. Pro-government vigilantes rescued them after a siege and subsequent gun battle with the kidnappers.
In addition to the 80 children rescued, an additional 33 children who had been kidnapped earlier were also freed by vigilantes.
6. Kagara, Niger State — 17 February 2021
![Students kidnapped in Kagara regained their freedom nine days later [Niger State Government]](https://image.api.sportal365.com/process/smp-images-production/pulse.ng/18082024/88363e36-a2f0-4eb8-92d1-948a32698808?operations=fit(1920:1080)&format=webp)
Students kidnapped in Kagara regained their freedom nine days later [Niger State Government]
Gunmen stormed Government Science College, Kagara, killing one student during the attack and taking 27 others, along with teachers and family members. The school authorities reported that about 600 boys were asleep in their dormitories when this happened. This abduction forced the Niger State to shut down boarding schools temporarily.
7. Jangebe, Zamfara State — 26 February 2021
![Students of Government Girls Secondary School, Jangebe after their release [Vatican News]](https://image.api.sportal365.com/process/smp-images-production/pulse.ng/27072024/6422284e-af61-440f-9a0d-11f651d3dc23?operations=fit(1920:1080)&format=webp)
Students of Government Girls Secondary School, Jangebe after their release [Vatican News]
This was one of the largest school kidnappings after Chibok. Terrorists invaded Government Girls Secondary School, Jangebe, abducting more than 300 girls in a raid. It was said that the kidnappers forced the students to march through stones and thorns, carrying those unable to and hitting them with their guns and making threats that they would be shot to force them to move. After many days of anguish and negotiation, the girls were eventually released.
8. Afaka, Kaduna State — 11 March 2021
In March 2021, 27 students of the Federal College of Forestry Mechanisation were taken after armed men overpowered security personnel and broke through the perimeter of the school walls. The victims spent seven weeks with their abductors before they regained their freedom.
9. Greenfield University, Kaduna — 20 April 2021
![NAPTAN begs abductors of Greenfield University students not to execute them. [onlinenigeria]](https://image.api.sportal365.com/process/smp-images-production/pulse.ng/27072024/1e013956-3c32-46c8-9d9b-09f9bd2ca5a4?operations=fit(1920:1080)&format=webp)
NAPTAN begs abductors of Greenfield University students not to execute them. [onlinenigeria]
This took place on 20 April 2021, when 20 students and two staff were kidnapped in Kasarami village during an attack by suspected armed bandits at Greenfield University.
They killed five of them to pressure the government, and the remaining were later released after a ransom was paid alongside new motorcycles.
10. Salihu Tanko Islamic School, Niger State — 30 May 2021
Gunmen attacked an Islamic school in Tegina, whisking away over 150 pupils, which included a mix of boys and girls, aged six to 18. It was reported that gunmen riding on motorcycles stormed the town and opened fire indiscriminately. As people fled, the attackers went to the Islamic school and seized the children.
11. Nuhu Bamalli Polytechnic, Zaria (Kaduna) — June 11, 2021
Bandits were reported to have attacked the school late at night, invaded staff quarters, killed one student, wounded another, and kidnapped 2 lecturers along with 8 students. They were later released after a random was paid to the abductors.
12. Federal Government College, Birnin Kebbi — June 17, 2021
Armed gunmen broke through the gate of Federal Government College, Birnin Kebbi, stormed the school and killed a police officer on site. They then went straight to the students’ classes and reportedly abducted around 80 students and several teachers.
13. Bethel Baptist High School, Kaduna — 5 July 2021
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Abducted Bethel Baptist High School students regain freedom (TheCable)
Bandits invaded this school and kidnapped over 120 students. The Bethel students were abducted in the early hours of 5 July when gunmen stormed the Christian boarding school in Kaduna State. The kidnappers freed the students in batches, beginning with the release of 28 pupils on Sunday, 25 July, with further releases in August, September and October.
14. LGEA Primary School, Alwaza (Nasarawa) — 20 January 2023
It was reported that gunmen on motorcycles invaded the school early in the morning and took away six pupils. Further investigation by the Police later revealed that the pupils aged between seven and eight years were abducted on their way to school at about 7 a.m. They were later rescued after a search was conducted by the Police.
15. Ekiti School Bus Abduction — 30 January 2024
Gunmen hijacked a school bus belonging to Apostolic Faith Group of Schools along Emure-Eporo-Ekiti. They went away with five pupils, three teachers, and the bus driver. The kidnapped pupils and the teachers were later rescued, but the driver did not make it out alive.
16. Kuriga, Kaduna State — 7 March 2024
Children play at the LEA Primary and Secondary School Kuriga two days after 287 students were kidnapped, Kuriga, Kaduna State, Nigeria, March 9, 2024. © 2024 Sunday Alamba/AP Photo
A group of gunmen riding motorcycles stormed the LEA Primary and Secondary School in Kuriga and abducted over 200 children. The event occurred while the pupils were gathered on the assembly ground around 08:30 am. Most of the victims were later released.
17. Tsangaya School, Sokoto State — 9 March 2024
Just days after Kuriga, bandits invaded another school in Sokoto state and abducted 286 pupils. The pupils were later rescued after spending 14 days in the abductor’s den.
18. Kebbi State — 2025 (Most Recent)
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25 Schoolgirls Abducted in Kebbi, VP Killed as Kidnapping Crisis Persists
This is the most recent school abduction case in Nigeria. It was reported that in the early hours of Monday, November 17, 2025, gunmen stormed Government Girls Secondary School, Maga, around 4 a.m. and engaged the police in a gunfight before scaling the perimeter fence and seizing the students. They succeeded in killing a staff member and abducting twenty-five school girls.
What Must Change
Nigeria cannot continue to normalise school abductions. What needs to change is not how fast the government reacts to these incidents, but the whole system enabling the attacks must also be checked.
School security, especially in northern communities, must be robust. There is a need for intelligence gathering, community watch, and collaboration, as well as trained security personnel on the ground.
Beyond security, the government must prioritise education as a national emergency. Schools should have proper fencing, surveillance, and functioning communication systems. Negotiation only emboldens more attacks; this is why there should be appropriate consequences for perpetrators. This will protect families from trauma and extortion.
In these cases, Nigeria is at risk of producing future generations who will be out of school altogether. Therefore, Nigeria needs to break this cycle of grief. But without systemic change and a proper approach, the country is at risk of normalising this tragedy and enabling these criminals.
From Chibok to Kebbi, this is a record of over a decade of school abductions in Nigeria. The country stands at a crossroads, wondering whether this cycle will be repeated or finally broken. One thing is sure: the fate of the coming decade depends on how the government handles this.
