President Bola Tinubu, has formally requested assistance from France to tackle the country’s worsening security crisis, which has seen an alarming surge in violent attacks and mass abductions, particularly across the north.
French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed the call on Sunday, expressing France’s “solidarity” with Nigeria. In a post on X, Mr Macron stated, “I spoke with President Tinubu of Nigeria… At his request, we will strengthen our partnership with the authorities and our support for the affected populations. We call on all our partners to step up their engagement. No one can remain a spectator.” The immediate nature of the French support was not detailed, though France has recently refocused its regional efforts on training and intelligence sharing.
The escalation in violence has been stark, with hundreds of men, women, and children snatched from schools and church services in recent weeks. The country’s security forces are already stretched thin, battling a decade long Islamist insurgency in the North-East, armed kidnapping gangs or “bandits” in the North-West, and deadly clashes over resources between mainly Muslim cattle herders and mostly Christian farmers in the central region.
The complex crisis has drawn significant international attention. US President Donald Trump recently threatened sanctions and possible Pentagon engagement on counter-terrorism, alleging that the attacks specifically target Christian communities. However, the Nigerian government has pushed back on this characterisation, arguing that criminal gangs are often indiscriminate, targeting both Christians and Muslims. Nigeria’s government insists it welcomes foreign support, provided its sovereignty is respected.
This security crisis is deeply intertwined with a devastating economic one. The pervasive kidnapping-for-ransom trade has evolved into a lucrative, structured criminal enterprise, with one report suggesting it cost Nigeria billions of naira in confirmed ransom payments in a single year alone. Beyond the immediate ransoms, the violence severely undermines the national economy. Insecurity has led to widespread abandonment of farmlands, disrupting the crucial agricultural sector and pushing up food prices. Furthermore, the relentless violence deters foreign direct investment and forces businesses to close or relocate, compounding already high rates of poverty and unemployment factors which, tragically, help fuel recruitment into these very criminal and extremist groups.
