The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has urged Nigerian authorities to take all lawful measures to stop a rising wave of violent attacks and mass abductions across the country.

The call was made on Tuesday during a briefing in Geneva, where OHCHR also pressed the Government to ensure that perpetrators are brought to justice.

No fewer than 402 people—mostly schoolchildren—have been abducted in Niger, Kebbi, Kwara, and Borno states since 17 November.

OHCHR further urged Nigeria to investigate the escalating attacks and kidnappings linked to insurgent groups. According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), all 38 victims abducted from a church in Kwara have now regained their freedom, while some schoolchildren elsewhere have managed to escape from captivity.

“We are shocked at the recent surge in mass abductions in north-central Nigeria,” OHCHR spokesperson Mr. Thameen Al-Kheetan said.
“We urge the Nigerian authorities at all levels to take all lawful measures to ensure such vile attacks are halted and to hold those responsible to account.”

The agency stressed that security forces must secure the safe return of all those still being held and prevent further abductions.

Meanwhile, the World Food Programme (WFP) has warned that the intensification of insurgent attacks this year poses a threat to regional stability and is worsening hunger levels. Its latest analysis projects that nearly 35 million people could face severe food insecurity during the 2026 lean season—June to August—the highest figure ever recorded in Nigeria.

WFP said the al-Qaeda affiliate Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) reportedly staged its first attack in Nigeria in October, while the Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP) is believed to be seeking expansion across the Sahel.

“Communities are under severe pressure from repeated attacks and economic stress,” Mr. David Stevenson, WFP Country Director and Representative in Nigeria, said.
“If we can’t keep families fed and food insecurity at bay, growing desperation could fuel increased instability, with insurgent groups exploiting hunger to expand their influence, creating a security threat that extends across West Africa and beyond.”

WFP noted that northern Nigeria is experiencing its worst hunger crisis in a decade, with rural farming communities most affected. Nearly six million people in Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe states are projected to face crisis levels of hunger or worse in the 2026 lean season, including about 15,000 individuals in Borno who may confront catastrophic or famine-like conditions.

The situation is worsening as WFP grapples with funding shortages that forced it to scale back nutrition programmes in the northeast in July, affecting more than 300,000 children. The agency warned that resources for emergency food and nutrition assistance will run out in December, leaving millions without essential support next year.