Description: More than 28 civilians were kidnapped by armed bandits at gun point while traveling to an annual Islamic gathering in central Nigeria’s Plateau state. The kidnappings arrive only a day after the Nigerian government announced that all 130 catholic students kidnapped earlier this month were rescued and returned to their families. Local sources have stated that the kidnappings were unrelated to the Islamic insurgency in the northwestern parts of the country. Nigeria has recently came under scrutiny from US President Donald Trump due to its inability to counteract the armed insurgencies on its territory which have reportedly targeted the Christian population. Nigeria’s Information Minister, Mohammed Idris recently stated that issues with the US have been resolved and bilateral relations were experiencing progress. He also added that Nigeria would add an extra layer of security in the remote areas of the country where the vast majority of these groups are suspected of operating.
Impact: The security situation in Nigeria further aggravated by regional instability and the general destabilized security landscape of the continent continues to exponentially deteriorate. Nigeria’s military and security forces lack an appropriate response to the armed insurgencies and other security issues such as terrorism for more than ten years. Recent developments such as the coups in Guinea Bissau and Benin further destabilize the region which in turn inflame bandit groups and terrorist organizations to ratchet up their illicit activities. The prospect of a joint intergovernmental security taskforce has been recently entertained by the Sahel states, however, concrete measures are yet to be undertaken. Nigeria would continue to experience surging levels of instability caused by terrorist groups and militant insurgents while the government struggles to adapt and approach the security issues adequately.