NFIU: Nigeria’s abduction crisis and failed governance
Nigerian bandits. Photo Credit- Wikipedia
A chilling report from the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), as cited in Nations Newspaper is a bitter pill that Nigeria has chewed: the country has recorded over 735 mass abductions since 2019, affecting thousands of lives and exposing the nation’s security crisis. From schoolchildren in Kaduna to travelers in Zamfara, these incidents primarily in the Northern region highlight a system failure of governance, where banditry and insurgency thrive amid government inaction. This staggering statistic, coupled with the NFIU’s findings of financial flows fueling these crimes, is a damning indictment of a leadership that has failed to protect its citizens, leaving Nigerians to ask, “Who will save us now?” As the nation grapples with this escalating nightmare, the question looms: Why has Nigeria become a playground for abductors, and what does this mean for its future?
The rate of the abduction crisis
The NFIU report, paints a grim picture: 735 mass abductions since 2019, with the North West as the epicenter, recording 662 kidnapping-related events between 2019 and 2023—169% more than the 246 in the North East. Kaduna alone saw 287 pupils abducted in Chikun on March 7, 2025, followed by 15 children in Sokoto two days later, and 61 more in Kajuru on March 12. These are not isolated incidents but part of a relentless wave, with over 500 people kidnapped in the start of 2025 alone. Nigerians cry out in despair “Another day, another kidnapping, Nigeria is bleeding.”
The rate is devastating. Families are torn apart, children traumatized, and communities live in fear. Civilians are afraid of moving out of their homes in the day talk more of sleeping at night. The NFIU’s data reveals a sinister financial underbelly—kidnappers have collected at least $18.5 million in ransoms from 2011 to 2020, a figure likely higher today, expanding a cycle of violence that the government seems powerless to break.
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Governance failure, inaction and impunity
The root of this crisis lies in governance failures at every level. The NFIU, readmitted to the Egmont Group in 2018 to combat money laundering, now exposes how financial flows sustain these abductions, yet the government’s response remains tepid. President Tinubu’s administration, which took office in 2023, promised to tackle insecurity, but the reality tells a different story. The Nigerian Army, while preventing terrorists from overrunning bases, has failed to secure rural areas, leaving roads like those in Zamfara controlled by bandits.
This inaction is compounded by a history of government’s complacency and complicity. The NFIU report notes that state governments, like Katsina in 2019, have exchanged detained bandits for victims, a practice that emboldens criminals. The federal government’s rumored plan to release bandits for train attack victims in 2022 further signals weakness. Such policies not only fail to prevent abductors but also erode public trust, as citizens are gradually beginning to realize that the government can no longer be relied on to keep them safe.
What abduction has cost Nigeria
Beyond the numbers, the abductions are robbing Nigeria of its future. Schools, once safe havens, are now targets, several academic institutions were hit in 2021. These incidents traumatize a generation, preventing education in a country where 70% live below the poverty line. Students, who were released after a ransom payment or through intervention from security agents, now refuses to return to school, a story repeated across the North. This means that the door to unity, peace, and progress will continue to be shut.
Conclusion
The NFIU report is a clarion call, but Nigeria’s leaders must do more than issue statements and directives. Tinubu’s plea for Nigerians not to criticize his mismanagement shows a neglect to duty when 735 mass abductions demand urgent action. The government must completely change its security strategy, deploying forces to rural areas, cracking down on ransom payments, and addressing root causes like poverty and ungoverned regions. International cooperation must be leveraged to trace and disrupt financial flows to abductors.
Currently, Nigeria stands at a precipice. The 735 mass abductions since 2019 are not just numbers but a scar on the nation’s conscience, a proof of failed governance. For millions of Nigerians, the question is not just “Who will save us?” but “When will our leaders act?” Until they do, Nigeria remains a nation under siege, its people paying the price for a government that has lost its way.
