Oluwafunbi Bello 
ABUJA, Nigeria – As night falls across Nigeria’s hinterlands, fear travels faster than light. Roads empty early. Villages retreat indoors. And deep inside the forests, armed gangs wait. Across large swathes of north-central Nigeria and beyond, forests have become the country’s most dangerous spaces. Once vital to farming and trade, these green belts now shelter kidnappers who abduct travellers, raid schools and hold victims for ransom far from the reach of the state.
In recent months, kidnapping has escalated into one of Nigeria’s gravest security threats. Families live in constant fear. Communities feel abandoned. And confidence in public safety continues to erode. Oluwafunbi Bello, writes.
A Nation Gripped by Abductions
From highways to classrooms, kidnappings have cut across every layer of Nigerian life.
Travellers are seized on rural roads. Students are dragged from dormitories before dawn. Farmers disappear from their fields. Many victims are marched into thick bushland, where rescue becomes difficult and ransom negotiations stretch for weeks.
In north-central states, forests have become strategic hideouts. Criminal groups exploit poor infrastructure, limited surveillance and weak security coordination. Once inside the forest, they are often impossible to trace.
In early December 2025, a rare breakthrough offered momentary relief. Acting on intelligence from villagers, Nigerian Army troops stormed a suspected kidnap camp inside Orokam Forest, along the Enugu–Benue border. Fourteen travellers abducted while returning from a burial were rescued unharmed. Their captors fled into the bush.
For families, it was a miracle. For analysts, it was a reminder that without local intelligence, many kidnappings remain invisible.
Schools Under Siege
Elsewhere, the story has been far darker.
In Kebbi State, gunmen attacked a boarding school before dawn. A vice-principal was killed. Twenty-five schoolgirls were abducted. Security forces later secured the release of 24 after days in captivity, but the trauma lingers.
In Kwara State, armed bandits abducted eleven people from a rural community. Among them were children and a pregnant woman. Witnesses said the attackers disappeared along narrow forest paths that link isolated towns.
According to community leaders, hundreds of villagers were kidnapped across Kwara in 2025 alone. Many incidents went unreported, either out of fear or mistrust of authorities.
Forests as Criminal Strongholds
Security experts say Nigeria’s forests now function as criminal infrastructure.
Inside these wooded areas, kidnappers establish makeshift camps — often described by locals as “warehouses”. Victims are moved frequently to avoid detection. Phones are seized. Ransom negotiations are conducted through intermediaries.
Poor road networks and limited mobile coverage give criminals an advantage. Once hostages are inside the forest, rescue operations become complex, slow and risky.
President Bola Tinubu has described the crisis as a national emergency. He has ordered intensified military operations and aerial surveillance across forested areas in Kwara, Kebbi and Niger States.
Authorities have also urged communities to share intelligence quickly. Yet fear of reprisals often keeps locals silent.
Why Forests Defeat the State
To understand why forests have become safe havens, retired military veteran Daniel Godsent offers a blunt explanation.
“The forest is a cover with no exposure,” Godsent said. “When you go into the forest, you could hardly be seen.”
Visibility, he explained, is the backbone of conventional security operations. In dense bushland, that advantage disappears. Criminals understand this reality far better than the state.
Godsent questioned whether security personnel deployed to forested regions are properly trained or equipped for such terrain.
Who Should Secure the Forests?
One of the most contentious issues is the role of different security agencies.
Godsent argued that the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), while important, is not designed for combat operations in hostile terrain.
“They are not militant in nature,” he said. “They are trained for civil protection, not jungle warfare.”
According to him, only specialised military units possess the training and discipline required for forest operations.
“The military are the ones trained and fit to be in the forest,” he added. “That is why the forest is a safe haven for kidnappers to do their work.”
His comments highlight a deeper problem: role confusion within Nigeria’s security architecture. As threats have multiplied, agencies have stretched beyond their mandates, often with limited success.
Security Inequality and the Poor
Godsent also criticised unequal security deployment.
In his view, wealthy individuals and high-profile figures often receive dedicated protection, while poor communities remain exposed.
“The poor are more vulnerable,” he said.
He welcomed recent government discussions aimed at reducing the routine deployment of soldiers to guard the affluent, arguing that manpower should be redirected to high-risk communities instead.
Why Schools Remain Vulnerable
Attacks on schools have become one of the most painful symbols of Nigeria’s insecurity.
Godsent traced the problem to years of neglect. He urged regulators and the Ministry of Education to enforce minimum safety standards, including:
Perimeter fencing
Controlled entry points
Adequate lighting
Emergency communication systems
However, he warned against turning schools into military zones.
“It is unfortunate that Nigeria has become a country where we need security personnel to guide our schools,” he said.
To him, armed guards are a stopgap — not a solution.
Ransom, Ethics and Survival
On ransom payments, Godsent was unequivocal.
The military, he said, does not negotiate with kidnappers and does not support ransom payments.
Such payments, he argued, only strengthen criminal networks and encourage further abductions.
Yet for families facing threats to their loved ones, the choice is agonising. The gap between official policy and lived reality remains one of the crisis’s most painful contradictions.
Technology as a Turning Point
Godsent believes technology could change the equation — if deployed strategically.
He pointed to the need for:
Drones for real-time surveillance
Satellite imagery to map forest routes
Secure communication systems
Rapid-response units trained for bush warfare
Without these tools, he warned, victims remain dangerously isolated.
“The victims of this kidnapping crisis are really on their own in this Nigeria,” he said.
The Role of Communities
Despite fear, community intelligence remains critical.
The Orokam Forest rescue succeeded because villagers spoke. Analysts say rebuilding trust is essential. That means protecting informants, acting swiftly on tips and delivering visible results.
Without community cooperation, forests will continue to hide crime in plain sight.
A Test of Governance
As Nigeria moves deeper into 2026, the kidnapping crisis poses a stark test.
Forests will not disappear. Criminals will not abandon terrain that protects them. The question is whether the state can adapt.
Experts argue that success will depend on:
Specialised military deployment
Clear agency roles
Modern surveillance technology
Strong community partnerships
Until then, as night falls and the forests grow quiet, fear will continue to travel faster than help.
About the Author
Chukwu Obinna 
Oluwatobi Adu 
Mirian Gom 