Nigeria faces ongoing security threats from kidnapping and banditry, which have claimed thousands of lives and disrupted communities across the country. According to Reuters, insurgents and bandits killed 2,266 people in the first half of 2025, more than the entire number of fatalities recorded in 2024 (2,194 deaths). During that same period, 857 abductions were reported, a drop from 1,461 in the first half of 2024, but still a major concern.
Over the past decade, bandit attacks have led to thousands of deaths. Estimates suggest that around 30,000 bandits operate in groups across northwest Nigeria, with sizes varying from 10 to 1,500 members. In August 2025 alone, gunmen abducted more than 50 people in Zamfara State during a mass raid, while another attack that same month saw at least 45 women and children taken from villages.
Annually, about 4,000 abductions occur nationwide, with the North West accounting for 28 percent and North Central for 24 percent between 2019 and 2023. The economic burden is equally severe: Nigerians reportedly paid about ₦2.2 trillion in ransoms between May 2023 and April 2024, highlighting the huge financial toll on families.
These challenges extend beyond numbers, deeply affecting daily routines, agriculture, and social stability. In areas like Katsina and Benue states, insecurity has forced farmers to abandon their lands, leading to hunger and economic losses. Studies have shown that physical insecurity in Katsina-Ala Local Government Area of Benue has caused markets to close and farms to remain untended due to constant risks. This has contributed to broader food insecurity, with nearly 25 million Nigerians projected to be at high risk of hunger during lean seasons, worsened by disrupted agricultural activities.
In Benue, insecurity has also burned down five police stations and 33 markets, while shutting down small businesses and reducing farming output. Socio-economic impacts include loss of lives, properties, and income, with communities facing decreased agricultural production and halted social gatherings. Internally displaced persons (IDPs) have even taken over schools in Benue, Katsina, and Niger states, turning classrooms into shelters as families flee their homes.
Government efforts to address these issues have included designating bandits as terrorists and allocating resources for security operations. Authorities reported rescuing 137 children from a school kidnapping in 2025, though the incident originally involved 287 abducted students. Still, attacks by groups like Boko Haram and bandit gangs continue to stretch Nigeria’s security resources thin.
Amnesty International notes that over the last two years, more than 273 people were killed and 467 abducted in affected areas, with unchecked attacks leading to a mounting death toll and humanitarian crisis. Despite pledges by the government to deal decisively with terrorism and banditry, daily assaults on civilians and security forces have escalated this year.
To understand the realities, Fairview Africa spoke directly with Nigerians living under these conditions.
Usman Abubakar, born and raised in Katsina State, expressed his frustration:
“The Governor of Katsina is trying his best and doing a great job, but the leaders are not helping matters. The issue of kidnapping and killing is too much. It all started when kidnappers attacked our compound and abducted one boy. People often see the kidnappers, but there is nothing they can do. We are pleading with the government to come to our aid. The killings and kidnappings are becoming unbearable, especially in Mafachi Local Government. We need urgent intervention to solve this problem.”
His account reflects the widespread banditry in Katsina, where insecurity has disrupted socio-economic development, interrupted daily life, and created an atmosphere of constant fear. The North-West region, including Katsina, has become a hotspot, with daily losses of lives and shrinking opportunities.
Another resident, also from Katsina, voiced his anger at what he sees as government inaction:
“The government is not doing anything. The killings in Katsina are too much, and the government is not helping the situation. All that happens is killings, kidnappings, and people being pushed into the forest with bandits. Yet, the government is not doing anything to protect us.”
This sentiment aligns with reports of over 10 school kidnappings in a ten-month period, and attacks that have displaced entire villages since the crisis deepened in recent years.
Chinma Obi, a resident of Benue, highlighted the rising cost of food and the fear that keeps farmers away from their fields:
“Government is not doing enough. Whatever government cannot stop, no individual can stop. It’s really affecting us. We are living in fear, nobody can go to the farm. Imagine yam is now very expensive because Benue people can no longer go to farm because of insecurity.”
Her words underscore the agricultural collapse in Benue, Nigeria’s “food basket,” where insecurity has disrupted the largest source of employment. In Katsina-Ala, kidnapping and banditry have not only cut agricultural output but also closed local markets, worsening hunger and poverty.
These personal stories from Katsina and Benue illustrate the devastating human cost of insecurity, where fear restricts movement, farming, and trade. Despite government efforts and military offensives, Nigerians continue to lament persistent killings and abductions.
