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Amnesty International has reported that more than 1,100 people were kidnapped in northern Nigeria within a four-month period, highlighting what it describes as a worsening security crisis across the region. The rights group said the figure reflects a pattern of mass abductions carried out by armed gangs and insurgent groups operating across northern states, where communities continue to face frequent attacks, ransom kidnappings, and violent raids. The report adds to growing concerns over the inability of security forces to curb rising criminal activity in affected areas. 
According to Amnesty’s findings, the wave of kidnappings is part of a broader insecurity trend that has also seen thousands of schoolchildren abducted in recent years, particularly since the 2014 Chibok incident that brought global attention to Nigeria’s kidnapping crisis. The organisation has repeatedly warned that armed groups in the northwest and northeast exploit weak security coverage, poor intelligence coordination, and vast ungoverned rural areas to carry out abductions for ransom and leverage. 
The report also underscores the ongoing humanitarian impact, noting that many victims are held in harsh conditions, with some never returning home and others subjected to trauma, violence, or forced labour. Amnesty has consistently urged Nigerian authorities to strengthen protection of vulnerable communities, improve rapid response capabilities, and ensure accountability for perpetrators, while also calling for better support systems for survivors of abduction and displacement. 
