Nigeria’s School Kidnapping Threat Is Changing: Four Lessons from the 56 Day Oyo Attack By Saheed Babajide Owonikoko Copyright © 2026 IPS-Inter Press Service. All rights reserved. -

Nigeria’s School Kidnapping Threat Is Changing: Four Lessons from the 56 Day Oyo Attack By Saheed Babajide Owonikoko YOLA, Nigeria, Oct 7 2026 (IPS) - Following the mass abduction of 46 pupils and teachers in Oyo State, south-west Nigeria in 2026, the authorities attributed the attack to the Ansaru terrorist group. Key suspects were prosecuted and handed prison terms. But this was not the first time terrorist groups had engaged in mass abduction of school pupils in Nigeria. Peace and security researcher Saheed Babajide Owonikoko explains what factors could have motivated the Ansaru terror group to stage that attack and what lessons Nigeria should take away from the incident, which lasted 56 days. https://www.ipsnews.net/2026/10/nigerias-school-kidnapping-threat-is-changing-4-lessons-from-the-56-day-oyo-attack/?utm_source=email_marketing&utm_admin=146128&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Workers_Help_Feed_the_World_but_Starved_of_Dignity_Climate_Change_Is_Becoming_a_Pregnancy_Hazard_Wor Copyright © 2026 IPS-Inter Press Service. All rights reserved. -