Nigeria Mission
Every day in Nigeria, people are being kidnapped, murdered, and driven from their villages by terrorist groups. Thousands of Nigerians - if not more - are brutally killed each year by the extremist organisation Boko Haram. Yet these atrocities rarely reach international news, limiting humanitarian action because so few are aware of the scale of the crisis.
In 2024 alone, reports estimate that between 3,000 and 7,000 Christians, along with around 3,000 non-Christians (including Muslims), were killed by Boko Haram. Thousands more were kidnapped and sold into slavery. And just last month, in one of the worst mass abductions the country has seen, more than 300 children and staff were taken by gunmen from a Catholic school in central Nigeria.
The people of Nigeria are clearly suffering, which is why we at Vans Without Borders will be travelling there at the start of 2026 to establish humanitarian aid networks for victims of terrorism. Our team will also work to identify and verify the legitimacy of existing local organisations so that, in time, we can confidently support them with large-scale aid.
At present, we ship an average of 10 tonnes of humanitarian aid each month to Ukraine - including hospital beds, medical supplies, clothing, vehicles, and even an MRI scanner - and we hope to extend this support to Nigeria as well. Establishing reliable humanitarian networks will take time, and this initial mission is essential for understanding the realities faced by communities on the ground.
We have already sent bandages to a medical team within the Nigerian Armed Forces who treat wounded civilians - supplies that the Vans Without Borders team paid for out of our own pockets. But this approach isn’t sustainable, as international shipping is costly and slow. That’s why travelling to Nigeria ourselves, and purchasing and distributing aid directly within the country, is the most practical and effective way forward.
Alongside our humanitarian work, we will document the atrocities taking place and collaborate with our media partners to ensure the world understands the realities facing the persecuted communities in Nigeria.
