Daily Kidnappings Plague Resettled Communities in Lake Chad Region

As Mallami Abadam cast his final net on the evening of Feb. 3, he was ready to call it a day. Alongside two other fishermen, he prepared to leave the riverbank in Kindjindi, a community in Diffa, Niger Republic, when Boko Haram insurgents stormed the riverbank and took them hostage. 

Kindjindi borders Abadam in Borno State and Geidam in Yobe State, northeastern Nigeria. Originally from Mallam Fatori in Borno State, Abadam resettled with his family in Kindjindi after being displaced by Boko Haram. 

Abductions have become a grim reality for displaced and resettled communities across the region, as kidnapping has evolved into a lucrative industry for insurgents.

The insurgents accused a fisherman of selling a cow worth ₦1 million on their behalf but failing to deliver the proceeds. Believing Mallami knew the whereabouts of the accused, simply because they were from the same tribe, the gunmen took them hostage, demanding both a ransom and information on his colleague’s location.

What should have been a routine day on the water turned into a nightmare as the insurgents forced them away from Dogon Kangar, a tributary of Lake Chad, and into captivity far from their fishing business. For 19 days, they were held without food, relying on the free people living in the Boko Haram camp to share what little they had.

“They threatened to burn them alive or shoot them if they didn’t pay the ransom on time,” said Kaka Modu, Abadam’s brother, who is also a fisherman.

Initially, Abadam’s captors demanded ₦1 million for his release. His family and other fishermen pooled together the money and paid. But Boko Haram refused to let him go, claiming they had spent money searching for the captives. They demanded an additional ₦300,000 for ‘logistics’, which was also paid. Even then, the militants insisted on receiving 50 litres of petrol and engine oil before finally releasing them on Feb. 22.

The next morning, Abadam returned to fishing.

A new face of terror

According to Modu, Boko Haram’s activities in the region have shifted. “There are different types of Boko Haram around us,” he told HumAngle. “Some are involved in fishing, some in trading, and others are focused on looting.”

In the past, the group retaliated violently against entire communities, sometimes slaughtering all fishermen in response to one person’s wrongdoing. However, their tactics have changed. They now engage in selective abductions and extortion. Usman Bulama, a community leader in Bama, said it is due to declining power and resources. 

Across resettled communities in Borno State, abduction has become a daily ordeal. According to a recent report by ACLED, at least 908 abduction incidents were recorded in northeastern and northwestern Nigeria in 2023.

Resettled members of communities, mostly farmers, fishermen, and firewood gatherers across Borno, told HumAngle that they must pay Boko Haram members for access to the bush. Despite these payments, they are unsafe, as the group often retaliates against anyone they encounter when angered, sometimes even breaking the so-called ‘peace accord.’

In Konduga, residents say at least one person is kidnapped every day. Families, already struggling with hunger, must sell land, livestock, or valuables to pay ransoms, only to face the same threat again. Despite the dangers, they continue farming, fishing, and gathering wood—because starvation is the only alternative.

“If you don’t go to the bush, hunger will kill you,” one villager in Kawuri told HumAngle, describing their impossible choice. Security forces warn residents to avoid dangerous areas but provide minimal protection or alternative solutions. While occasional patrols occur, locals say they are insufficient to deter attacks or ensure safe access to farmlands and forests. “The government has forgotten us,” said Abba Kura, a resident of Konduga. “We just want access to the bush to farm and gather wood. We won’t ask for anything else.”

As kidnappings persist, some fear locals may be forced into uneasy compromises, even cooperating with Boko Haram to survive. Economic desperation has already led some to share information with the insurgents.

In Kawuri, residents say insurgents visit every few days to seize food and clothing. “They break down your door…and you dare not resist,” Bana Ali, a resident of Kawuri, told HumAngle. 

Another resident, Hamza Isa, recounted how his brother was kidnapped on Mafa Road in Borno. “He was returning to Maiduguri when suspected Boko Haram members stopped their car,” he said. “They pointed at him, ordered him to get out, and told the driver to leave.” 

Business owners like Isa’s brother, particularly those dealing in cash, are often marked for abduction. Boko Haram has informants who give them information about the communities, according to residents. 

In a recent case, Boko Haram demanded ₦2 million from displaced persons in Kawuri. After negotiations, residents paid ₦1.5 million and bought four smartphones and food for the insurgents. The ransom secured the abductees’ release, but the cycle of extortion continues.

On Jan. 20, Boko Haram insurgents stormed Kawuri, warning residents that if they failed to meet future demands, the village would be burned down. They had already banned men from venturing into the bush to cut firewood.

Recently, in Konduga, five people were kidnapped. When their ransom was not fully paid, the militants broke the arms of two captives and told them, “Go and spend the money you didn’t want to give us on treatment.”

‘Cycle of fear and poverty’

For over a decade, Boko Haram has relied on looting, taxation, robbery, and protection rackets to sustain itself. Initially, the group received financial support from sympathisers and illicit trade networks. However, as security forces disrupted these channels, they increasingly turned to kidnapping as a primary source of income.

In 2020, the United Arab Emirates convicted six Nigerians for financing Boko Haram. They were found guilty of transferring $782,000 from Dubai to Nigeria between 2015 and 2016 to support the group.

Today, abduction-for-ransom is a structured revenue stream. Insurgents target civilians, aid workers, and traders, extracting payments to fund their activities.

Unlike large-scale ideological abductions such as the 2014 Chibok schoolgirls’ kidnapping, the current wave of kidnappings in Borno’s communities is systematic, frequent, and financially motivated. Initially, Boko Haram abducted individuals for ideological purposes. Now, ransom demands are their primary focus. Negotiations are drawn out, and payments are structured to maximise extortion.

For these resettled communities, this means an endless cycle of fear and poverty.

Zannah Bukar Mustapha, a humanitarian and mediator renowned for his role in securing the Chibok schoolgirls’ release, warns that resettled civilians have no legal protection.

“Without government intervention, communities are left to negotiate their survival with terrorists. If they do not pay, their relatives will not return,” Mustapha told HumAngle. 

Borno’s resettled communities face an escalating crisis without urgent action, whether through improved security, economic support, or negotiations. If kidnappings and extortion continue unchecked, more residents may be forced to abandon their homes, deepening displacement and instability in the region.