Government says Boko Haram and ISWAP are responsible, but security experts insist local bandit groups carried out the attacks.
Nigeria’s government says jihadist groups Boko Haram and the Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP) are behind the recent mass kidnappings in the north-west and central parts of the country. But security analysts say the attacks were carried out by local criminal gangs known as bandits, not by jihadist groups.
This is the first time the government has named who it believes is responsible, but officials did not provide evidence to support the claim. Kidnapping for ransom has become common in many parts of Nigeria, involving gangs, jihadists, and separatist groups. The government says it does not pay ransoms, although many Nigerians believe this rule is often ignored.
In the past two weeks, three major kidnappings have taken place.
— In Kebbi state, 25 people were taken from a girls’ secondary school.
— In Kwara state, 38 people were kidnapped from a church.
— In Niger state, more than 250 children and staff were reported missing from St Mary’s Catholic School.
Presidential spokesman Sunday Dare speaking to the london based BBC news said that Boko Haram and ISWAP are “all over the place” and responsible for the attacks. He did not say whether ransom money was used to free the small number of victims who have since been released.
Many analysts strongly disagree with the government’s position. They say there are no known Boko Haram or ISWAP cells operating in the north-west, and that the recent kidnappings match the methods of local bandit groups. These groups, often made up of armed Fulani militia who travel on motorbikes, have carried out attacks for years with no central leadership.
The Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (Acled), which tracks violence across Africa, reviewed the three kidnappings and said all were carried out by Fulani bandit groups. Acled said the large kidnapping in Niger state may have been partly aimed at embarrassing the government. It added that some attacks are linked to attempts to take over land for illegal mining, a growing trend in several states.
The only recent kidnapping linked to jihadist groups happened in Borno state, where 13 teenage girls were taken. That region is a long-time stronghold of Boko Haram.
Nigeria’s security crisis has gained international attention after US President Donald Trump threatened military action, claiming Christians were being targeted. Nigerian officials and analysts say this is not true and that victims come from all communities.
The government says it is working to rescue the missing schoolchildren, but it has not given a timeline. In past cases, abducted children have been held for months or years, and some have died in captivity.
Despite the disagreements over who is responsible, analysts agree that the security situation remains severe, with many groups taking advantage of weak state presence, poor roads and limited policing in rural areas.
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