Kidnap Gangs, Jihadists and Separatists Plague Nigeria

Published: 28 November 2025 Friday. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online

Nigeria is currently grappling with a spate of mass abductions, but the vast country—bigger than France and Germany combined—faces a multitude of security challenges. Recent attempts by US President Donald Trump and his supporters to frame the insecurity purely as persecution of Christians overlook the complexity of Africa’s most-populous nation. Nigeria is home to over 250 ethnic groups and is roughly divided into a mainly Muslim north and a largely Christian south, with intermingling in the middle. The government emphasizes that people of all faiths have been victims of attacks.

Criminal gangs in the north-west, an Islamist insurgency in the north-east, clashes over land in central regions, and separatist unrest in the south-east have left Nigeria’s 400,000-strong army and a police force of 370,000 officers overstretched. The criminal gangs, locally known as “bandits,” are largely drawn from the Fulani ethnic group, traditionally pastoralists who have traded their livestock tools for assault rifles. These weapons have proliferated since Libya’s 2011 conflict, which left a surplus of arms in the region. Unlike jihadist groups, the bandits are motivated not by ideology but by quick financial gain through kidnappings for ransom, avoiding long migrations in search of grazing land.

The gangs operate in large numbers on motorcycles, allowing them to strike rapidly and vanish before security forces can respond, a tactic seen in recent school abductions. Lacking a centralised leadership, each gang is loyal to its own local leader. Notable figures such as Ado Aleru from Yankuzo in Zamfara state and Bello Turji have been targeted with police bounties. The Nigerian government designated the bandits as “terrorists” in 2022 in a bid to curb their escalating violence.

Bandits not only target neighbouring states and central regions for kidnappings but also prey on their own communities, demanding ransoms and sometimes levying local taxes. Younger bandits, some in their teens, have turned to TikTok to flaunt ransom money, firearms, and motorcycles, amassing thousands of followers. The security challenges in Nigeria are further compounded by jihadist insurgents in the north-east, violent clashes over land in central states, and separatist movements in the south-east, creating a complex and multi-layered crisis.

With each wave of violence, the Nigerian government struggles to contain the unrest, highlighting the deep-rooted challenges of maintaining security in a nation marked by ethnic diversity, historic grievances, and the proliferation of armed groups. The situation continues to evolve, with mass abductions, violent attacks, and localised conflicts contributing to a climate of fear and uncertainty across Nigeria.