Global human rights body, the Amnesty International has reported that at least 1,100 people were abducted between January and April 2026 as President Bola Tinubu’s administration fails to protect Nigerians from a worsening wave of kidnappings and mass abductions across the northern part of the country.
This was contained in a report where the global human rights organisation said rural communities and internally displaced persons (IDPs) have become prime targets for bandits and other armed terrorist groups, with victims subjected to torture, rape, starvation, amputations and other brutal abuses while in captivity.
According to Amnesty International, many of the affected communities have endured years of repeated attacks by gunmen, with abductions now becoming a major source of income for criminal groups demanding huge ransoms from victims' families.
“Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu and his government must urgently address the country’s horrifying spate of abductions targeting rural communities and internally displaced persons (IDP) in the northern part of the country, as at least 1,100 people have been abducted in three months, from January to April 2026,” the organisation said.
“Those abducted are frequently subjected to torture, starvation, amputation, rape, forced to witness or commit atrocities. Many of the communities affected by the abductions have for years also endured frequent attacks by gunmen.”
