Fear and Uncertainty: Nigerian Parents' Harrowing Experience Amid Kidnap Gangs

Mon Dec 01 2025 00:12:15 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

In the wake of recent mass abductions from a boarding school in Niger State, Nigeria, parents live in fear of reprisal from kidnappers, with many too terrified to speak out.

Following the abduction of over 300 students from St. Mary's Catholic School in Papiri, Nigerian parents express their anguish and fear. Many refuse to engage with authorities or media, worried about kidnappers retaliating. The kidnappings highlight a troubling trend of violence fueled by criminal gangs seeking ransom. As communities struggle with insecurity, some have resorted to desperate measures, even negotiating peace with bandits just to ensure safety and the return of their loved ones.

Many of the parents whose children were abducted 10 days ago from a boarding school in Nigeria are terrified - they do not want to talk to the authorities or journalists in case of reprisals from the kidnappers.

If they hear you say anything about them, before you know it they'll come for you. They'll come to your house and take you into the bush, one of them told the BBC. For his safety, the BBC is not identifying him and is calling him Aliyu.

His young son is one of more than 300 students abducted when armed men stormed the grounds of St. Mary's Catholic School in Papiri village in Niger State on November 21.

Some of the children taken are as young as five years old. About 250 are still reportedly missing, though state officials have disputed this figure as exaggerated.

The incident is part of a wave of mass kidnappings in Nigeria, attributed to criminal gangs locally referred to as bandits who use abduction for ransom as a method of making quick money.

“Our village is remote, we are close to the bandits,” Aliyu explains. “It's a three-hour drive to where they hide. We know where they are, but we can't go there ourselves, it's too dangerous.”

His anxiety is palpable, especially as past incidences have led to deaths among hostages due to neglect or non-payment of ransoms. “I feel so bitter and my wife hasn't eaten for days… We're not happy at all. We need someone to help us take action.”

Just days before the Papiri incident, 25 girls were abducted from a school in Maga, Kebbi State, 200 kilometers further north. One student managed to escape, while security forces later rescued the others from a hideout that officials claimed was a farm settlement.

In the north-west, communities have struck peace deals with bandits in exchange for access to mineral resources, said security analyst David Nwaugwe. This pragmatic approach has led to reduced violence in some areas.

However, the situation remains complex, with the threat of further kidnappings looming large. Parents like Aliyu await news of their children, hailing from a region plagued by insecurity and what many perceive to be ineffective state intervention.