From Chibok to Oyo: here’s the list of major school kidnapping cases in Nigeria since 2014

• Nigeria has recorded over 20 major school kidnapping incidents since 2014.

• More than 1,700 students and staff have been abducted in that period.

• Schools have become recurring targets despite military and government interventions.

• Recent incidents in 2025–2026 show that insecurity in schools is still ongoing.

Nigeria’s education sector has been repeatedly shaken by mass school kidnappings since the 2014 abduction of 276 schoolgirls in Chibok, Borno State, an incident that drew global outrage and became a symbol of the country’s deepening insecurity crisis.

More than a decade later, school attacks have continued across different regions, with armed groups targeting pupils, students and staff in both secondary and tertiary institutions. Despite military operations, rescue missions and government interventions, schools have remained vulnerable.

According to documented reports compiled by UNICEF and Amnesty International, Nigeria has recorded over 20 major school kidnapping incidents between 2014 and 2026, involving more than 1,700 students and staff.

The recurring attacks have raised concerns that insecurity has gradually become embedded in Nigeria’s social system, particularly in northern and central regions where many of the incidents have occurred.

Below is a timeline of major school kidnappings that have defined Nigeria’s insecurity challenge over the past decade.

The abduction of 276 schoolgirls from Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, remains the most symbolic school kidnapping in Nigeria’s history. The incident sparked global campaigns and exposed major gaps in school security in conflict-prone areas.

110 schoolgirls were abducted from Government Girls Science Technical College, Dapchi. Most were later released, but the incident reinforced fears that school attacks had become recurring.

More than 300 schoolboys were abducted from Government Science Secondary School, Kankara. The mass kidnapping drew nationwide outrage and highlighted the expansion of insecurity into the North-West.

Several schools were attacked in quick succession across northern Nigeria:

• Kagara, Niger State – 42 students and staff

• Jangebe, Zamfara State – 279 schoolgirls

• Afaka, Kaduna State – 39 students

• Greenfield University, Kaduna – 23 students abducted/killed

• Tegina, Niger State – 136 pupils

• Bethel Baptist High School, Kaduna – 121 students

The frequency of attacks in 2021 marked one of the worst years for school security in Nigeria.

About 287 pupils and staff were abducted in Kuriga, further intensifying concerns that schools remain soft targets despite repeated security promises.

School-related attacks have continued into recent years, including:

• Mass abduction in Niger State affecting over 300 pupils and staff (2025)

• Attack in Kebbi State involving dozens of schoolgirls (2025)

• Security scare and reported school kidnapping incident in Oyo State (2026), which sparked panic among students and renewed national debate on school safety

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The pattern of repeated school kidnappings highlights a deeper insecurity crisis affecting Nigeria’s education system. Schools, which should be safe spaces for learning, have increasingly become targets in broader attacks linked to insurgency, banditry and organised armed groups.

While government authorities have consistently deployed security responses and negotiated releases in many cases, the persistence of attacks has raised questions about long-term protection of educational institutions.

From Chibok in 2014 to recent incidents in 2026, Nigeria’s school kidnapping crisis reflects how insecurity has deeply infiltrated the country’s education system. Despite rescue efforts and policy responses, the recurrence of attacks continues to shape fear, disrupt learning and redefine childhood in affected regions and across Nigeria.