Maiduguri, Nigeria – When Musa Abdullahi Wakawa learned that his wife and seven-year-old son had been abducted, disbelief quickly gave way to fear. Then came the question confronting many families caught in Nigeria's kidnapping crisis: How could he raise the ransom demanded for their release? For days, Musa searched for a way to bring his family home, confronting the financial burden imposed by the kidnappers.
Across northeastern Nigeria, families sell livestock, seek loans, dispose of property, and exhaust savings in the hope of securing the release of loved ones. In Borno State, kidnapping has become more than a security threat. Families are losing money, living with the trauma of abduction, and, in some communities, keeping their children away from school.
Laraba Dauda, 45, still remembers the last conversation she had with her younger sister. Her sister was abducted on January 13, 2026, along the Biu–Buratai road, according to Laraba. Shortly after the abduction, the phone rang. Her sister was calling from somewhere in the bush. “Aunty, unknown people have kidnapped us and taken us somewhere in the bush. We don’t know where they are taking us. At this moment, Aunty, please just help me with your prayers,” Laraba recalled her sister saying. The call ended in tears. Her sister has not returned home. Months later, Laraba and her family still do not know where she is being held or whether she is safe. Laraba is calling on the Nigerian government to intensify efforts to rescue those still in captivity. “We need the government to come to our aid and help rescue our relatives who have spent more than six months in captivity,” she said.
For Anjikwi Hena, his son's disappearance came just as the family was looking towards a better future. His son was abducted on March 30, 2026, according to Hena. He had completed his education and was preparing to travel to Maiduguri in search of work. His father encouraged him and prayed for his success. Instead, the young man disappeared into captivity. Hena said their close relationship has made the uncertainty especially painful.
The kidnapping crisis is also threatening education in communities already weakened by years of rebellion. In Askira-Uba Local Government Area of Borno State, only 56 of 113 primary schools are currently functioning, according to Fasuma Askira, the local government education secretary. Before the May attack in Mussa, 76 primary schools were operating. The threat of violence subsequently forced authorities to close another 20, leaving only 56 functioning.
On May 15, suspected rebel fighters attacked Mussa and abducted dozens of children. A register later obtained by news services identified 40 missing children, although figures provided by the community and government have varied. The Borno State government has more recently referred to about 44 children still missing from Mussa. Then, on June 29, armed rebels attacked the Government Day Secondary School in Lassa while students were taking National Examinations Council examinations. Some students were recovered shortly after the attack, but 36 students and a teacher have been reported as remaining in captivity.
The attacks have deepened fears among parents and teachers already living with the threat of rebel violence. The education authority moved junior secondary students from Mussa to a government boarding school in Uba and advised the local government to deploy community vigilantes around schools. Soldiers have also been deployed in Mussa and Lassa alongside local security forces.