Nigeria: Number of school children abducted and number of abductions since 2014
The first major abduction of school children by Boko Haram occurred in Borno State in 2014 when 276 schoolgirls were taken. Since then, at least 1,800 school children have been abducted. More school children were kidnapped in 2021 than in previous years.
Nigeria recorded its highest terrorism-related fatalities in 2014 and 2015, with 2,101 and 2,003 deaths respectively.
Fatalities fell sharply after the peak years, but Nigeria has still averaged over 600 terrorism deaths annually since then.
Hostage incidents have become more prominent, reaching a series high of 455 hostages in 2024.
The data shows Nigeria’s terrorism problem has shifted from peak insurgency-era mass fatalities to persistent violence involving killings, kidnappings, and hostage-taking.
Nigeria’s 2026 defence budget is $3.9 billion, placing it far below the top global spenders.
It is just 0.5% of the US’ $831.5 billion budget, highlighting a massive scale difference.
Compared to China ($303 billion), Nigeria’s budget is only 1.3%.
Nigeria’s allocation equals 1.8% of Russia’s $212.6 billion allocation.
Even a mid-tier top spender like Australia ($57.4 billion) has a budget almost 15x Nigeria’s.
Nigeria’s budget is only 3.6% of India’s $109 billion defence allocation.
European powers such as the UK ($88.5 billion), France ($67.2 billion), and Germany ($127.4 billion) all have defence budgets that dwarf Nigeria’s allocation