Barely days after security forces secured the release of the 39 pupils and seven teachers abducted from Oriire, Oyo State, another school came under attack.

On Tuesday, July 14, armed men stormed Government Secondary School, Olowa in Dekina Local Government Area of Kogi State while students were writing the National Examinations Council, NECO, examination

They fled with two students, the school principal and a NECO ad hoc official.

The incident sparked fears of yet another prolonged school kidnapping. However, before those fears could deepen, Kogi State government announced on Thursday that all the victims had been rescued safely and reunited with security agencies for debriefing and medical evaluation.

The development brought relief to affected families and reinforced growing calls for intelligence-driven rescue operations. Yet, it also highlighted a painful reality.

While the Oyo and Kogi victims have regained their freedom, hundreds of other Nigerians remain trapped in forests and kidnappers’ camps across the country, with some spending more than five months in captivity.

An Investigation by Sunday Vanguard, based on newspaper reports, community records and civil society documentation, shows that at least 529 Nigerians abducted in eight major kidnapping incidents are still believed to be in captivity.

The victims includee schoolchildren, worshippers, farmers, traditional leaders, villagers, passengers and security personnel whose release has not been officially announced despite sustained military operations across the country.

The figure represents only documented unresolved cases between February and July 2026.

It excludes isolated kidnappings, victims whose families deliberately avoided publicity while negotiating ransom payments, as well as numerous incidents that were never reported in the media.

Security experts and civil society organisations, CSOs, believe the actual number of Nigerians still in captivity is considerably higher.

DHQ: 1,764 rescued in six months

The latest findings come against the backdrop of intensified military rescue operations.

According to the Defence Headquarters, DHQ, troops rescued 1,764 kidnapped and abducted persons during operations conducted across various theatres between January and June this year.

A monthly breakdown released by the military shows that 284 victims were rescued in January, 450 in February, 79 in March, 188 in April, 221 in May and 542 in June.

The figures underscore the increasing tempo of military operations against terrorists, bandits and other criminal groups.

Yet, they also reveal another disturbing trend.

Even as security agencies rescued hundreds of hostages, new abductions continue to replenish the ranks of those held captive.

The rescue of the Oriire schoolchildren and the swift operation that freed the four Kogi victims demonstrate that coordinated intelligence and rapid response can produce results.

However, security analysts say those successes have not fundamentally weakened the kidnapping networks operating across many parts of the country.

Barely hours after the Kogi school attack, terrorists intercepted three newly passed-out soldiers travelling from Zaria to Zamfara State and abducted them, reportedly demanding a ransom of N50 million.

The Incident served as another reminder that kidnapping is no longer limited to schoolchildren, commuters or rural communities.

Increasingly, even members of the armed forces have become targets.

Months of waiting

Among the documented unresolved cases reviewed by Sunday Vanguard, the single largest involves 176 residents of Woro community in Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State.

The villagers were abducted during a mass raid on the agrarian settlement earlier this year and have now spent more than five months in captivity, making them among the country’s longest-held kidnap victims.

Community leaders say many affected families have exhausted their savings, sold livestock and abandoned farming while desperately searching for ways to secure the release of their loved ones.

Kaduna State has also continued to record prolonged cases.

More than 80 days after gunmen attacked worshippers during Easter celebrations in Ariko community, 37 Christians are still being held by their abductors, according to the Kaduna State chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN.

Another 11 residents abducted from Awon community have also remained in captivity for more than two months. Relatives say repeated appeals to security agencies have yielded little information on their whereabouts, leaving families to endure weeks of uncertainty and emotional trauma.

Children still in captivity

Although the successful rescue of the Oriire pupils has been widely celebrated, another group of schoolchildren remains in captivity.

In Mussa community, Askira-Uba Local Government Area of Borno State, 42 pupils, most of them between the ages of two and 14, have remained in kidnappers’ custody since the attack on their school.

Education advocates warn that prolonged captivity at such tender ages could leave lasting psychological scars while further discouraging school attendance in already vulnerable communities.

Zamfara’s endless nightmare

Perhaps no state better illustrates the persistence of Nigeria’s kidnapping crisis than Zamfara.

In Kurfa Danya and Magaji villages, 150 residents, most of them women and children, remain unaccounted for months after armed men invaded the communities.

Another 92 residents abducted from communities in Anka and Tsafe Local Government Areas have yet to regain their freedom.

Along the Abuja-Sokoto highway, 18 passengers seized during an attack on travellers also remain missing.

The latest abduction of the three young soldiers travelling to Zamfara has heightened concerns that criminal gangs are becoming increasingly audacious, targeting not only civilians but also security personnel.

Taken together, the unresolved incidents in Kwara, Kaduna, Borno and Zamfara, along with the recent abduction of the three soldiers, account for at least 529 Nigerians whose freedom remains uncertain.

Number likely much higher

While the documented cases reviewed by Sunday Vanguard account for 529 unresolved victims, security experts and CSOs insist that the actual number of Nigerians still being held by kidnappers is far higher.

Amnesty International Nigeria reported that more than 1,100 people were abducted across northern Nigeria between January and April 2026 alone, underscoring the alarming pace at which kidnapping has spread across the country.

A coalition of civil society organisations has also estimated that more than 7,000 Nigerians could currently be held in forests, kidnappers’ camps and insurgent-controlled territories across at least seven states.

Those estimates include victims whose cases never made newspaper headlines, travellers abducted along highways, farmers seized from remote communities, residents of isolated villages, and families who quietly negotiate ransom payments without informing security agencies or the media.

The absence of an official national database of kidnap victims has made it difficult to establish the exact number of Nigerians still in captivity. As a result, many victims disappear from public attention once media interest fades, leaving their families to continue the search with little official information about rescue efforts.

For the affected families, however, the figures are not mere statistics.

In Woro community, relatives of the 176 villagers abducted earlier this year have spent months moving from one security formation to another in search of information.

Some households have reportedly sold farmlands, livestock and other valuable possessions in desperate attempts to raise ransom, while others say they have heard nothing from the abductors for weeks.

In Ariko, Kaduna State, relatives of the 37 worshippers kidnapped during the Easter Sunday attack continue to count the days since their loved ones were taken from church.

Community leaders say many families have exhausted both emotional and financial resources while waiting for news that may never come.

Parents of the 42 pupils abducted from Mussa community in Borno State face a different kind of agony. Most of the children are between two and 14 years old, raising fears among psychologists and education advocates that prolonged captivity could leave deep emotional scars long after they regain their freedom.

Across parts of Zamfara, communities have also been left traumatised by repeated attacks that have forced many residents to abandon farming, close local markets and flee to neighbouring towns in search of safety.

Why kidnappings persist

Security analyst and kidnap incident management specialist, Mr. Sam Otoboeze, believes the persistence of mass kidnappings points less to the inability of security agencies than to shortcomings in policy direction and political commitment.

According to him, Nigeria possesses sufficient technology to track and rescue many victims but has yet to deploy it effectively.

“I can tell you that the problem is not entirely with the security agents. It is the politics around kidnapping. The leadership at both the federal and state levels needs to do more by investing in technology and properly integrating it with response teams,” he said.

Otoboeze questioned how large groups of abducted victims, particularly schoolchildren, could remain in kidnappers’ camps for months without being located through technological surveillance and intelligence.

“It is difficult to imagine that children can remain in kidnappers’ camps without technological means being deployed to trace them. It appears there are issues Nigerians do not fully understand”, he said.

“Security agencies can only perform to the extent that they receive the necessary support and clear directives from government. If government is determined to stop this menace, the right investments and decisions must be made.”

He also warned against allowing politics to overshadow national security.

“As political activities gather momentum ahead of the next elections, attacks on schools and vulnerable communities appear to be increasing. Government must ensure that politics does not distract from protecting citizens,” he added.

Crisis of coordination

Forensic and criminal intelligence specialist, Mr. Alfred Ononugbo, believes Nigeria’s greatest challenge lies in the absence of effective coordination among critical stakeholders.

“What is happening should concern every Nigerian because only collective action will produce lasting solutions. The non-state actors are organised, but our institutions often work in isolation. That lack of cohesion continues to provide criminal groups with opportunities to carry out successful attacks,” he said.

Ononugbo described the successful rescue of the Oyo pupils and the Kogi victims as proof that intelligence-led operations can produce results when properly coordinated.

According to him, the rapid rescue of the Kogi victims should restore some public confidence while also demonstrating what is possible when security agencies act swiftly.

“The rescue operations in Oyo and Kogi show that with technology, intelligence gathering and coordinated engagement, security agencies can succeed. The challenge is ensuring that the same level of commitment is applied to the hundreds of other Nigerians still being held.”

He, however, warned that the fresh abduction of three soldiers travelling to Zamfara illustrates the resilience of criminal networks.

“If the same intelligence-driven approach used in those rescue operations is consistently deployed across kidnapping hotspots, we should begin to see similar outcomes elsewhere. Otherwise, the public will continue to question whether security agencies possess the capabilities they claim to have.”

Human cost

Beyond statistics and security briefings lies the enormous human cost of prolonged captivity.

In communities across Kwara, Kaduna and Zamfara, economic activities have slowed as residents avoid farms, forests and remote settlements where kidnappers operate freely.

Parents increasingly fear sending their children to school despite recent rescue successes.

Churches, mosques and community gatherings now operate under heightened security, while travellers routinely alter their routes or postpone journeys because of fears of abduction.

The emotional burden is equally severe.

Families of abducted persons often live from one telephone call to another, hoping for news of a rescue but fearing fresh ransom demands. Many have exhausted their life savings, borrowed heavily or sold property in unsuccessful efforts to secure the freedom of loved ones.

Analysts warn that prolonged captivity strengthens kidnapping syndicates by giving them time to negotiate ransoms, move hostages from one hideout to another and expand their criminal operations.

For them, the 529 documented unresolved cases are not isolated incidents but evidence of a kidnapping economy that has become deeply entrenched across several parts of the country.

The challenge before government, they argue, is no longer limited to rescuing hostages, to dismantle the criminal networks, financing structures and intelligence systems that have enabled kidnapping to evolve into one of Nigeria’s most profitable organised crimes.

One rescue is not enough

For the Executive Director of the Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre, RULAAC, Mr. Okechukwu Nwanguma, the successful rescue of the Oyo schoolchildren and the Kogi victims, demonstrates what security agencies can achieve when intelligence, coordination and political will come together.

“The successful rescue operations in Oyo and Kogi are welcome developments. They demonstrate that when security agencies act with coordination, intelligence and political will, positive outcomes are possible. However, they should not be seen as the end of the story but as a reminder of the work that remains,” he said.

According to him, the celebrations surrounding the rescues must not overshadow the plight of the hundreds of Nigerians who are still in captivity across different parts of the country.

“Security agencies must now intensify efforts to secure the release of all other Nigerians still being held captive. Reports that hundreds, and possibly thousands, remain in captivity underscore the scale of the challenge. Every abducted person deserves the same urgency and commitment, regardless of where they were kidnapped or the level of media attention their case receives.”

Dismantle criminal infrastructure

Nwanguma argued that isolated rescue operations would not end the kidnapping epidemic unless government simultaneously dismantled the criminal infrastructure sustaining it.

He called for improved intelligence gathering, stronger collaboration among security agencies, disruption of the financing and logistics of bandit groups, and greater protection for schools, highways and vulnerable rural communities.

The rights advocate also urged government to provide comprehensive medical, psychosocial and economic support for survivors after their release, noting that many victims return from captivity traumatised and unable to resume normal life.

He further advocated the establishment of a comprehensive national database of kidnap victims to enable authorities to accurately account for those still missing, keep families informed and improve transparency in rescue efforts.

“Success should not be measured only by high-profile rescues but by the government’s ability to prevent kidnappings and ensure that every victim is safely reunited with their family,” he added.

Troubling national reality

Conflict Adviser at the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre, CISLAC, Mr. Salaudeen Hashim, said the rescue of the Oyo and Kogi victims should serve as a source of hope, but also as a reminder of the magnitude of Nigeria’s kidnapping crisis.

According to him, “the rescue of the schoolchildren is a significant victory, but it also highlights a troubling national reality. Hundreds of Nigerians remain in captivity across different parts of the country. While some high-profile rescues receive national attention, many victims remain in forests, bandit enclaves and insurgent-controlled territories, often with little sustained public visibility.”

Hashim noted that one of the most disturbing trends was the increasing length of time victims spend in captivity.

“Victims are increasingly held for weeks, months and, in some cases, years. Long periods in captivity increase the physical, psychological and economic burden on both the victims and their families.”

According to him, the true test of Nigeria’s anti-kidnapping campaign is not the number of isolated rescue operations but its ability to permanently dismantle kidnapping networks.

“The true measure of success for Nigeria’s security agencies will not be one successful rescue operation, but the systematic dismantling of kidnapping networks, the safe return of those still held, and a sustained reduction in abductions nationwide’, he stressed.

“Until then, every rescue should serve as both a source of hope and a reminder that many Nigerians are still waiting to come home.”

Missing national database

One issue repeatedly raised by security experts and CSOs is the absence of an official national database of kidnapped persons. Unlike countries facing prolonged hostage crises, Nigeria has no publicly accessible system for tracking those abducted, rescued, released or still missing.

As a result, many victims disappear from public attention once media coverage wanes, making it difficult to determine the true scale of the country’s kidnapping crisis.

The investigation by Sunday Vanguard found that the documented 529 persons still in captivity represent only victims whose continued detention could be verified through newspaper reports, community records and civil society documentation.

The figure excludes numerous isolated kidnappings, victims whose families deliberately avoid publicity while negotiating ransom, as well as persons believed to be held by insurgent groups in remote parts of the North East where independent verification remains difficult.

According to analysts, this suggests that the actual number of Nigerians still languishing in forests and kidnappers’ camps may be considerably higher than documented. (Sunday Vanguard)

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