Gunmen snatched over 300 students from a Catholic school in the northwest. To make matters worse, this happened right after a deadly church attack. These events put even more pressure on the Nigerian government, especially after ex-U.S. President Donald Trump talked about potential military action because he thought Christians were being treated unfairly there.
What’s Been Happening? If it turns out to be true, the attack on St Mary’s School would be the worst school kidnapping since Boko Haram grabbed 276 girls from Chibok back in 2014. No one’s said they’re behind the recent attacks, but it looks like the church attackers are just armed criminals trying to get money. These gangs, who people around here call bandits, show up shooting to scare everyone, kidnap people, and then disappear into the woods. Just last Monday, some armed guys stormed a girls’ school in Kebbi state and took 25 students. On the same day, another group kidnapped 64 people from their homes in Zamfara state. And on Tuesday, some gunmen attacked Christ Apostolic Church, killing two people and kidnapping 38 people who were there to worship. A church leader mentioned that the gunmen wanted about $69,000 per person! President Bola Tinubu had to cancel his visits to South Africa and Angola for some meetings. Security experts think these attacks are all about the money. Schools lack adequate security, so they’re easy targets. Plus, parents are usually willing to pay to get their kids back. According to Ikemesit Effiong from SBM Intelligence, there’s a ton of cash to be grabbed in such things.
Where All This Is Going Down Most of northern Nigeria—more than half of the country—is dealing with chaos that’s disrupting daily life, travel, and farming. In the northwest, you’ve got armed gangs who aren’t pushing any religious or political agendas. They’re just hiding out in the forest and kidnapping people for money. Nigeria has vast, deserted areas where much of this stuff doesn’t even get reported. Then, in the northeast, there are really extreme groups like Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP). They’ve been fighting for about 15 years, forcing over two million people to leave their homes and killing tens of thousands. ISWAP even caught and killed an army general. And in central Nigeria, where the mostly Muslim north meets the largely Christian south, you’ve got deadly fights happening over religion, ethnicity, and who gets to use the land and water. Is It Christians Who Are Being Targeted?
Nnamdi Obasi from the International Crisis Group said there have been a bunch of violent incidents involving religious groups, but Muslims have suffered just as much as Christians. Nigeria claims that these accusations of Christian persecution don’t show the full picture. They say the situation is much trickier and that they’re doing their best to protect everyone’s religious freedom. The country has a massive population of 230 million people spread across around 200 ethnic groups. Obasi said, Of course, a lot of Nigerians think the government could’ve done a better job stopping these armed groups, putting an end to the violence, and punishing those responsible. Still, there’s really no solid proof that the government is in on any attacks against a particular religious group. A U.S. State Department official mentioned the U.S. might consider using sanctions and military help to force Nigeria to protect Christian communities and religious freedom better. How’s the Government Handling It? Nigeria’s military is the biggest in the area. They’re leading the charge against these armed groups. In the northwest, local leaders often try to make peace by talking to the bandit gangs. The military is spread thin, and these bandits and insurgents are all over the place. Back in August, Nigeria’s Air Force claimed they killed nearly 600 insurgents with airstrikes, but the fighting on the ground continues. According to data from ACLED, a U.S. group that watches crises, there have been over 1,923 attacks on regular people in Nigeria this year, leading to more than 3,000 deaths. At least six states up north have shut down schools because they’re worried about attacks.
