At least 402 people, mainly schoolchildren, have been kidnapped in four states in the north-central region – Niger, Kebbi, Kwara and Borno – since 17 November, the UN human rights office, OHCHR, said on Tuesday.
Only 88 have reportedly been freed or escaped from captivity.
Call for justice
“We are shocked at the recent surge in mass abductions in north-central Nigeria,” OHCHR Spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan said in Geneva.
“We urge the Nigerian authorities – at all levels – to take all lawful measures to ensure such vile attacks are halted and to hold those responsible to account.”
OHCHR said the authorities must ensure the safe return of all those still being held and prevent further abductions.
Rising hunger, security threat
The rise in insurgent attacks is threatening regional stability and causing a spike in hunger, the World Food Programme (WFP) added.
The latest analysis finds nearly 35 million people are projected to face severe food insecurity during the 2026 lean season from June to August – the highest number ever recorded in the country.
Insurgent attacks have intensified this year, the UN agency said.
Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), an al-Qaeda affiliate, reportedly carried out its first attack in Nigeria last month, while the insurgent group Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP) is reportedly seeking to expand across the Sahel region.
“Communities are under severe pressure from repeated attacks and economic stress,” said David Stevenson, WFP Country Director and Representative in Nigeria.
“If we can’t keep families fed and food insecurity at bay, growing desperation could fuel increased instability with insurgent groups exploiting hunger to expand their influence, creating a security threat that extends across West Africa and beyond.”
Millions at risk
WFP noted that northern Nigeria is experiencing the most severe hunger crisis in a decade, and rural farming communities are the hardest hit.
Nearly six million people are projected to face crisis levels of hunger or worse during the 2026 lean season in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states. This includes some 15,000 people in Borno state who are expected to confront catastrophic hunger, or famine-like conditions.
The situation is unfolding as WFP continues to face funding shortfalls which have forced the agency to scale down nutrition programmes in the northeast in July, affecting more than 300,000 children.
WFP warned that resources for emergency food and nutrition assistance will run out in December, meaning millions will be left without vital support next year.
