A recent mass school abduction in Niger State has cast a dark shadow over Nigeria, highlighting the persistent and devastating impact of the nation's spiraling bandit conflict. The kidnapping of over 300 students and staff in late November 2025 occurred even as the Nigerian military reported significant successes against armed groups and some local communities made desperate attempts to negotiate for peace.
The complex crisis, marked by a mixture of intense violence, local peace overtures, and a fierce debate over national strategy, continues to create a severe humanitarian emergency across the country's northern regions.
On November 21, armed bandits stormed St. Mary Catholic School in Papiri, Niger State, kidnapping 303 students and 12 teachers. According to the Associated Press, the attackers set fire to school property before forcing their victims into the forest. While 100 students were released in early December, the fate of the remaining 153 students and all 12 teachers remains unknown, adding this incident to a horrifying tally of nearly 1,800 students abducted from Nigerian schools since 2014.
This attack underscores the brutal reality on the ground, which persists despite a series of government-led military operations. In August, the Nigerian military announced a major victory after a coordinated air and ground raid on a bandit camp in the Makakkari forest of Zamfara State reportedly killed more than 100 fighters. More recently, joint operations in Kwara State in October resulted in the death of a notorious kidnap kingpin known as Maidawa, while an army ambush in Sabon Birni, Sokoto State, killed eleven bandits who were allegedly planning an attack.
However, the efficacy of a purely military approach is being openly questioned. Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, a prominent Islamic cleric, recently expressed skepticism that the Nigerian military could achieve a decisive victory against the decentralized, guerrilla-style bandit groups. "Modern armies often struggle against guerrilla fighters," Gumi noted, according to Sahara Reporters, emphasizing the need for negotiation and a multi-faceted strategy involving local communities.
This sentiment is echoed in the actions of communities worn down by violence and perceived government inaction. In May, residents in the Bagega and Kawaye districts of Zamfara State began direct negotiations with bandit groups to end a crippling blockade that had halted all economic activity and led to widespread killings and kidnappings.
These efforts have yielded some fragile successes. In September, a notorious bandit leader, Isiya Kwashen Garwa, accepted a peace deal in Katsina State's Faskari Local Government Area. The agreement, facilitated by traditional rulers, stipulated that bandits could enter towns unarmed and that all captives would be released without ransom.
Despite these glimmers of hope, the broader conflict remains deeply entrenched and complex. Experts note that the term "bandits" covers a wide range of armed groups, often without a central ideology or leadership, who target communities primarily for resources and ransom. Their violence is frequently intertwined with long-standing religious and ethnic conflicts, as well as the ongoing insurgency by jihadist groups like Boko Haram and the Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP), according to research from the Hoover Institution.
The spiraling violence has triggered a profound humanitarian crisis. The Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect reports that millions of Nigerians are in need of urgent assistance due to the violence. The Nigerian military, while tasked with containing these threats, has itself been criticized for alleged human rights violations, further complicating efforts to establish lasting peace and security for the nation's embattled communities.