Abubakar Abdullahi has not seen his wife and five children in almost three months because he is too afraid to visit his hometown for fear of being kidnapped by criminal gangs roaming Nigeria.
He has remained in Minna, the capital of Niger State, where he works as a civil servant. He now relies solely on phone calls to communicate with his family, who live in Kontagora, about 200 kilometres (125 miles) away.
Kontagora lies halfway to Papiri, where more than 300 schoolchildren were abducted from their dormitories two weeks ago in one of Nigeria’s worst mass kidnappings.
“I’m too scared to visit my family because of kidnappers,” the 45-year-old Abdullahi said at a restaurant in the city, AFP reported.
“I only communicate with them on the phone and send them upkeep money electronically at the end of each month,” he said while waiting for his order.
He is still traumatised by the 2022 kidnapping of his elder brother from his Kontagora home. His brother was held for three months before being released after the family raised a 50-million-naira ($35,000) ransom.
Abdullahi’s dilemma is shared by many Minna residents who have been separated from their families in the countryside because of kidnapping fears.
Mamman Alassan has not visited his village in Shiroro district since he moved to Minna three years ago.
“We cannot go home to visit our people because nobody wants to risk their life,” Alassan said outside a jewellery shop. “Social interactions between us have become fewer.”
Niger is a predominantly Muslim state with a significant Christian population, and religiously mixed communities have long lived side by side.
“We are a culturally and religiously mixed society with close kinship ties, but the current security situation has stopped people from visiting their loved ones in the villages,” Catholic priest James David Gaza said after mass outside his church.
“This is pulling us apart and destroying our social bonds,” he added.
As Christmas approaches, families across Nigeria prepare to gather for festive meals and exchange gifts. But in some parts of the country, these celebrations will take place over phone calls and electronic money transfers.
“All social interactions with people in rural areas—weddings, naming ceremonies, funerals—have considerably reduced because of the situation,” said Isyaku Ibrahim Gada, a perfumer at Minna market.
‘Network of informants’
Niger is one of several states in northwest and central Nigeria terrorised for years by criminal gangs known as bandits, who raid villages, abduct residents, and burn homes after looting them.
Though based in the forests, the bandits track residents through networks of local informants who tip them off about potential targets.
“They believe everyone from the city has money, which is why we’re always their target,” Abdullahi said.
Niger is Nigeria’s largest state by landmass—more than twice the size of Belgium. Its vast forests provide sanctuary for bandits. Once a victim is abducted, escape is rare. Hostages are only released after ransom payments, and families who cannot pay often lose their loved ones.
Isah Usman, 52, recently skipped his brother-in-law’s wedding in Kontagora.
“We no longer visit home. We only call and send whatever financial help we can to our relatives,” said Usman, a civil servant.
Even the recent arrest of eight suspected bandit informants in Kontagora has not changed his mind.
‘Dull’ festive season
With Christmas only two weeks away, business is “slow” and “dull” for second-hand clothing seller Ifeoma Onyejekwe.
Originally from eastern Nigeria, she has built strong bonds with customers from rural communities—relationships she describes as “family-like”.
But those customers have stopped coming, and she cannot travel to them either because of kidnapping fears.
“They are afraid to come in, and we are afraid to go and meet them,” Onyejekwe said.
“The relationship is no longer close.”
