Nigeria has faced a modern wave of organized terrorist attacks since 2009, sparked by the uprising of the Islamist extremist group Boko Haram in Maiduguri, Borno State.
Earlier, the first documented attacks happened between late December 2003 and early 2004, when a radical splinter group called the “Nigerian Taliban” struck police stations and government buildings in Kanamma and Geidam, Yobe State.
Top on the list of terrorist organizations wreaking havoc on Nigeria for the past seventeen years is Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), Boko Haram, officially known as Jama’atu Ahlis-Sunnah lid-Da’awati wal-Jihad, Lakurawa, Ansaru, JNIM (Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin), and Northwest “Bandits” (Armed Banditry Factions).
To instill fear in Nigerians, these terrorist organizations have, among other atrocities, kidnapped schoolchildren, killed some, forcibly converted others to Islam, and demanded ransoms.
These are six times terrorists attacked Nigerian schools.
The Chibok Schoolgirls Kidnapping
In April 2014, Boko Haram stormed the boarding house at Government Girls Secondary School in Chibok, Borno State, and kidnapped 276 schoolgirls.
It was the first major contemporary mass school abduction, sparking the global #BringBackOurGirls movement, and dozens remain missing despite many escapes and later releases.
The Dapchi Schoolgirls Abduction
In February 2018, militants from a suspected Boko Haram splinter group, ISWAP, raided Government Girls’ Technical College in Dapchi, Yobe State, and abducted 110 schoolgirls.
Most were released weeks later after negotiations, but Leah Sharibu remained captive for refusing to renounce her Christian faith.
The Kankara Boys Kidnapping
In December 2020, heavily armed gunmen linked to local bandit networks but using terrorist tactics invaded Government Science Secondary School in Kankara, Katsina State, and marched more than 300 schoolboys into nearby forests.
The boys were released about a week later after intensive government negotiations, marking a major shift as “bandits” began copying Boko Haram’s large-scale kidnappings for financial gain.
The Jangebe Girls Abduction
In February 2021, an armed criminal group raided the dormitories of Government Girls Science Secondary School in Jangebe, Zamfara State, during an early-morning operation and took 317 schoolgirls hostage.
The girls were released within days, but the mass kidnapping triggered the temporary shutdown of several boarding schools across northern Nigeria as a security precaution.
The Papiri Catholic School Mass Abduction
In November 2025, heavily armed bandits and suspected terrorist elements on motorbikes stormed St. Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri, Niger State, at 2:00 a.m. in a coordinated raid and abducted 303 students and 12 teachers.
The attack forced the total closure of schools in Niger State and several federal institutions, and while local operations helped some escape, dozens of victims were taken deep into remote forests, prompting ongoing military rescue missions.
The Oriire Coordinated Triple-School Raid
In May 2026, armed bandits on motorbikes carried out a coordinated morning raid and simultaneously attacked three neighboring schools—Community Grammar School, Baptist Nursery and Primary School, and L.A. Primary School, in the Ahoro-Esiele and Yawota communities of Oriire LGA, Oyo State.
They abducted up to 46 individuals, including 7 teachers plus secondary students, primary pupils, and nursery children as young as two years old.
