Kidnappings at schools in Nigeria were first carried out by jihadist group Boko Haram, who seized more than 200 students from a girls' school in Chibok in Borno state a decade ago.
But the tactic has since been adopted by criminal gangs without any ideological affiliation seeking ransom payments, according to authorities.
I guess when you're ransoming hundreds of kids at a go you stop worrying about big amounts. Quantity over quality, aka the enshittification of kidnapping.