Amnesty International has sounded a fresh alarm over the escalating security crisis in Northern Nigeria, reporting that at least 1,100 people were kidnapped between January and April 2026.
The human rights organization issued a stern call to the Federal Government, demanding immediate intervention to stabilize the region.
In a statement released on Sunday obtained by Persecondnews via its X (formerly Twitter) account, Amnesty urged President Bola Tinubu to confront the “horrifying” surge in mass abductions, which have increasingly targeted vulnerable rural populations and internally displaced persons (IDPs).
Beyond the staggering numbers, the report highlighted the brutal reality for those taken: victims are frequently subjected to starvation, torture, and sexual violence, or are coerced into participating in further acts of violence.
“Apart from killing people, gunmen are now on a rampage of abductions – largely for lucrative ransom. Some stay months at the mercy of gunmen in punishing situations.
“Estimates of the number of abductions by gunmen and armed groups across Nigeria vary, and some of the commonly cited figures vastly understate the scale of the problem,” Director of Amnesty International Nigeria, Isa Sanusi, said.
The group cited several incidents across states, including a February 3 attack on Woro village in Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State, where 200 people were reportedly killed and 176 abducted.
It also referenced the abduction of 150 people in early April in Bukkuyum Local Government Area of Zamfara State, and the kidnapping of over 100 displaced persons by Boko Haram fighters in March near Mafa in Borno State.
According to Amnesty, more than 400 people were abducted in Ngoshe, Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State, on March 3, while 57 people were kidnapped in Niger State in January.
“On March 30, 18 passengers in a commercial vehicle travelling from Abuja to Sokoto were abducted along Mayanci in a part of Zamfara State.
“On February 19, 2026, 92 people were abducted by an armed group in Zamfara State. A total of 42 people were abducted in Anka Local Government Area, and another 50 were separately abducted in Tsafe Local Government Area.
“On January 18, 2026, gunmen carried out a mass abduction by attacking three churches at Kurmin Wali village in Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State during a morning worship service. At least 166 people were abducted. It was reported that they were released later,” it added.
The organisation also quoted a resident of Woro community in Kwara State who recounted the ordeal, saying, “They (attackers) didn’t just kill; they stole our life away.
“They abducted 176 people, including my second wife and my three daughters. One of them is only two years old. I have seen the video they posted on social media.
“I heard my wife’s voice. I saw my people. It has been almost two months now, and they are still in that forest.”
Amnesty International warned that the wave of abductions is forcing families into extreme hardship, with some selling all they have or resorting to community fundraising to pay ransom.
“In almost all cases of these abductions, people were also killed, homes and shops looted and razed. In some cases, families must dispose of everything they have to pay ransom, while villages often crowdsource to rescue their people.
“Those who could not pay are sometimes either killed, disappeared or tortured more. What we are witnessing right now in the northern part of Nigeria is a crisis of abduction that increasingly endangers lives,” Sanusi said.
The group added that the fear of abduction is disrupting education, with many children forced out of school, while underage girls are pushed into early marriage to avoid being targeted.
It criticised Nigerian authorities for failing to meet their constitutional and international obligations to protect citizens.
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