Timeline: Notable kidnapping cases of school children in Nigeria

Nigeria is currently facing many security challenges, one of which is a new wave of mass abductions. In November 2025, successive abduction incidents shook the entire nation, bringing back memories of past incidents. 

Abductions are a long-standing pattern in Nigeria. Between July 2023 and June 2024 alone, SBM Intelligence – an Africa-centric security analysis and strategic consulting firm – found that at least 7,568 people were kidnapped in 1,130 cases across the country. During this period, the kidnappers demanded approximately 11 billion naira (about $7.5 million) as ransom, and received one billion naira (about $0.65 million). This is despite the fact that the Nigerian senate outlawed ransom payments to kidnappers in 2022 and made abduction punishable by death.

These days, armed groups operate confidently, even flaunting the ransom payments collected from the victims' families on social media without disguise. This display puzzles most Nigerians, who criticise the government’s inability to track and arrest the abductors through their digital footprints. In defence of the government, Daniel Bwala, President Bola Tinubu’s special adviser on policy communication, recently said that the armed groups use foreign internet services, which makes tracking their locations difficult.

Below is a timeline of the most notable kidnap cases of schoolchildren in Nigeria, from 2014 to date.

14 April 2014 

Boko Haram, an Islamist militia group that has waged an insurgency in Nigeria’s north-east since 2009, abducted 276 girls from Chibok Girls Secondary School, Borno State. The infamous abduction of the Chibok girls quickly drew the attention of the international community with prominent individuals, including Michelle Obama joining a global campaign for their release. Ten years on, some abductees are still missing.

12 May 2014

Boko Haram released a video showing the Chibok girls kidnapped from their school.  In the video, the Boko Haram leader said the girls would remain in their custody until all imprisoned militants are freed.

20 May 2014

The Borno State Government earmarked 150 million naira ($101,518) for the 53 Chibok schoolgirls who escaped from Boko Haram abductors 

18 May 2016

Amina Ali, one of the Chibok girls abducted by Boko Haram militants, was found with a baby and Mohammed Hayatu who identified himself as Ali’s husband.

13 October 2016

After negotiations between Nigeria’s government and Boko Haram brokered by Red Cross and Swiss government officials, 21 Chibok girls were released.

18 February 2018

Nearly four years after the Chibok kidnap incident, Boko Haram fighters abducted 110 girls from the Government Girls’ Technical School, Dapchi, Yobe State. 

21 February 2018

The Yobe State government announced the rescue of some of the girls from their abductors and said they are with the army, but later retracted the statement and apologised for misleading the public.

9 March 2018

Parents of the 110 girls abducted from their school staged a protest at the National Assembly complex in Abuja, and called on the Nigerian government to rescue their children.

12 March 2018

Former Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari announced plans to negotiate for the release of 110 schoolgirls rather than use a military operation to free them by force.

20 March 2018

Amnesty International accused the Nigerian army of ignoring advance warnings and failing to act hours before the 110 girls were abducted. 

21 March 2018

The Nigerian government said 104 of the 110 schoolgirls abducted in Dapchi have been freed.

24 August 2020 

Seven school children and a teacher of Prince Academy, Damba-Kasaya Village, Kaduna state, were abducted by armed men. The armed men also killed one person during the attack.

11 December 2020

Gunmen attacked an all-boys Government Science Secondary School in Kankara, Katsina state and abducted over 300 students.

17 December 2020

The schoolboys abducted in Kankara regained their freedom.

17 February 2021

Gunmen attacked a government school in Kagara, Niger state. They killed a school pupil and abducted 27 other children.

26 February 2021

Bandits abducted 317 female students of Government Girls Secondary School Jangebe, Zamfara State. The schoolgirls were abducted at about 1am. 

25 July 2021

Bandits released 28 victims of the 121 students abducted in the early hours of Sunday, 25 July 2021, from the Bethel Baptist Secondary School in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

7 March 2024

More than 300 students were abducted by armed bandits from the LEA Primary and Secondary School in Kuriga village, in Kaduna state. 

25 March 2024

At least 137 schoolchildren abducted from Kuriga village regained freedom.

17 November 2025

25 female students were abducted by gunmen from Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga, Kebbi State. The group shot dead the school’s vice principal during the attack, and left another staff member with gunshot injuries. 

21 November 2025

303 students and 12 teachers were abducted from St. Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools in Papiri, Niger State. But about 50 of the students escaped immediately. 

25 November 2025

The schoolgirls abducted in Kebbi state on 17 November 2025 regain their freedom.

7 December 2025

The Nigerian government secured the release of about 100 children who were abducted in November 2025 from St. Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools in Papiri, Niger State.

21 December 2025

The Nigerian government secured the release of a further 130 students abducted in November 2025 from St. Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools in Papiri, Niger State.