FEATURE: 758 Students, Teachers Abducted Since Tinubu Took Office
By Kabir Abdulsalam,
Despite increased military operations, school security interventions, and renewed national pledges on Safe Schools protection, no fewer than 758 students and educators have been abducted in mass school-related attacks across Nigeria since President Bola Ahmed Tinubu assumed office on May 29, 2023, a review of verified incident reports checked by TimesNG shows.
The figure, compiled from multiple incidents across the North-West, North-Central and parts of the North-East and South-West, reflects a continuing pattern of school-targeted kidnappings that has evolved in scale, geography and sophistication over the last three years.
It comes amid renewed debate over the effectiveness of Nigeria’s Safe Schools Initiative and rising concerns that rural education infrastructure remains dangerously exposed to armed groups.
Federal University Gusau, Zamfara State — September 22, 2023
In September 2023, shortly after the inauguration of the Tinubu administration, gunmen attacked off-campus hostels near Federal University Gusau in Zamfara State, abducting about 24 students, marking one of the earliest recorded school-linked abductions under the government.
LEA Primary and Secondary School, Kuriga, Kaduna State — March 7, 2024
The largest single incident remains the Kuriga mass abduction in Kaduna State on March 7, 2024, when armed men stormed LEA Primary and Secondary School in Chikun Local Government Area and whisked away 287 pupils and a teacher during morning assembly.
Security sources later confirmed that a significant number of the victims were recovered through coordinated military operations, but the attack set the tone for what analysts describe as a renewed wave of mass school kidnappings under the current administration.
Gidan Bakuso Tsangaya School, Sokoto State — March 8, 2024
Barely 24 hours after the Kuriga incident, 17 pupils were abducted from Gidan Bakuso Tsangaya School in Sokoto State during a dawn raid, reinforcing fears of coordinated attacks across the North-West corridor.
Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, Kebbi State — November 17, 2025
By late 2025, the pattern of attacks began to shift both geographically and tactically. On November 17, 2025, armed men invaded Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga, Kebbi State, abducting 25 students and killing the vice principal who reportedly attempted to resist the attackers.
St. Mary’s Catholic School, Papiri, Niger State — November 21, 2025
Four days later, Nigeria witnessed one of its most severe school abductions in recent years when gunmen stormed St. Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri, Niger State, taking away 303 students and 12 teachers and staff members.
The Niger incident alone accounted for nearly half of the total recorded victims in the period under review, triggering national outrage and renewed international concern over Nigeria’s school security architecture.
Security analysts note that the scale of the Niger attack reflected a growing operational confidence among armed groups and a weakening deterrence capacity in remote rural communities.
Oriire Local Government Area Schools, Oyo State — May 15, 2026
A major turning point came on May 15, 2026, when coordinated attacks struck multiple schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State in the South-West, an area previously considered largely insulated from mass abductions.
Bandits reportedly invaded three schools simultaneously, abducting 39 pupils and seven teachers, in what security experts described as a dangerous expansion of the kidnapping economy into southern Nigeria.
The attackers reportedly operated with military-style coordination, forcing children and staff into surrounding forest reserves before security reinforcement could arrive.
Mussa Primary and Junior Secondary School, Askira-Uba, Borno State — June 2, 2026
Days later, on June 2, another attack in Askira-Uba Local Government Area of Borno State led to the abduction of 42 students, underscoring the continued pressure in the North-East corridor where insurgent factions remain active.
A collation of verified mass school abduction incidents between May 2023 and June 2026 shows that 737 students were abducted and 21 teachers and school staff were abducted, bringing the total to 758 victims.
The incidents span at least seven major attacks, with varying rescue outcomes, including negotiated releases, military recoveries, and escapes recorded in some cases.
However, security analysts caution that the number of persons held in captivity at any given time fluctuates due to overlapping rescue operations, unreported local negotiations, and inconsistent documentation in conflict zones.
Beyond the headline numbers, a growing trend is the increasing targeting of educators.
At least 21 teachers and school staff were abducted in the incidents reviewed, with some killed during attacks or in captivity.
Meaning teachers are now being deliberately targeted because they serve as leverage during negotiations and help control abducted pupils during forced movements through difficult terrain.
In a recent article published by TimesNG‘s Editor-in-Chief, Yushau Shuaib, titled: “From Chibok, Dapchi and Now Oriire — Is This Season 3 of Pre-Election Abductions,” he noted that school abductions have evolved from sporadic attacks into a “structured kidnapping economy” driven largely by ransom incentives and weak rural surveillance systems.
He warned that repeated school attacks signal “a normalization of mass hostage-taking in education spaces,” unless proactive intelligence and local security frameworks are strengthened.
The rising figures have also reignited scrutiny of Nigeria’s Safe Schools Initiative, originally designed to strengthen physical security infrastructure in vulnerable learning environments.
Despite reported multi-billion-naira investments in school protection programs, civil society organisations argue that implementation gaps remain severe, particularly in rural areas where schools lack fencing, surveillance systems, armed protection units, and rapid response protocols.
In many affected communities, schools are located within proximity to forests and ungoverned spaces, providing easy escape routes for armed groups after attacks.
However, the Federal Government has consistently condemned the attacks and deployed military and intelligence assets to affected regions. Operations involving the Army, Police, Civil Defence Corps and local vigilante networks have led to several rescues over the period.
The Presidency also announced expanded forest surveillance operations and renewed commitments to strengthen community policing structures in high-risk zones.
However, despite these measures, the recurrence of mass school abductions suggests persistent operational and intelligence gaps in preventing attacks before they occur.
While the figure of 758 abducted students and educators reflects documented mass incidents, security analysts warn that the real impact extends beyond numbers.
Each attack disrupts education cycles, forces school closures, triggers displacement of families, and deepens fear within already vulnerable communities.
For many rural parents, sending children to school has become a calculated risk.
As Nigeria continues to battle insurgency in the North-East, banditry in the North-West and emerging criminal networks in the South, the school system remains one of the most exposed institutions in the country.
Until that changes, the crisis of school abductions risks remaining one of the most enduring security challenges of the Tinubu administration.
Kabir writes from Abuja, can be reached: [email protected].