Shared Crimes

Ransom kidnapping is a flourishing criminal activity in Nigeria. In the Benin Republic, Nigeria’s neighbour, the Institute for Security Studies (ISS), posits that kidnapping for ransom can open doors to terrorism. In Nigeria, it may already have. In the northeast zone, terrorists often kidnap residents, especially school students. In 2014, about 276 schoolgirls in Chibok, Borno State, were abducted by insurgents; about 100 girls are still missing. From December 2020 to May 2021, armed groups have kidnapped about 800 students in Nigeria, according to the Nextier SPD Conflict Database.

Multiple raiding of schools by bandits in the northwest and northcentral zones add to the growing menace of banditry in the areas. Within this period, more than 1 billion have been cumulatively demanded as ransom. For example, in February 2021, bandits demanded ₦800 million to release the kidnapped Kagara schoolboys. Ransom kidnap by armed groups in Nigeria’s violent hotspots is a gift that keeps giving as bandits continue to attack schools and demand ransom payment before releasing their victims. The proceeds of such activities present criminal gangs financial support to procure weapons and advance their criminality. According to a news report, bandits from Zamfara state have begun travelling to Borno state to receive training from terrorists. Also, there are indications that terrorists from the northeast are moving towards the northwest, a region that has become Nigeria’s unofficial theatre of violence.

Nigeria’s kidnapping problem is a symptom of the growing security challenges, financing of armed groups and apparent ineffectual security measures. Armed groups continue to attack vulnerable communities and schools with minimal resistance from security agencies. The funds that are retrieved from the ransom kidnaps can be used to improve criminal gangs and networks. This situation makes it hard for already overwhelmed security operatives to manage emerging conflict vistas across the nation. Schools have also been forced to close down, especially in areas that have recently witnessed school raids.

The trend of school raids indicates that security measures have been insufficient. Hence, the need for improvements and new ideas. State governments must review school arrangements based on conflict and security risks in violent zones. The practice of boarding schools in areas prone to armed men’s attacks must be abolished to reduce school children’s vulnerability. The Nigerian government must increase the securitisation of communities prone to attacks. The establishment of community policing frameworks may create the avenue for local intelligence to inform formal security units of impending attacks by bandits and terrorists.

The indication of inter-regional movement of bandits and terrorists in the northwest and northeast zones must move Nigeria’s security operatives to examine its security frameworks. A proper conceptualisation and analysis of current security dynamics in the hotspots will help map out effective security measures that can manage the propensity of violence and prevent losses to lives and livelihood. The possible migration of conflict in the region is a worrisome development that requires proactive efforts of all formal and informal security units waging war against armed groups. The connection between bandits and terrorists may complicate the struggle to address insecurity. However, strategic and collaborative security measures may make the difference in neutralising threats.