<![CDATA[Purpose: This study examines the intersection of Nigeria’s socio-political environment, banditry, and student kidnapping with electoral insecurity, tracing how these overlapping crises undermine educational access and national development. Methodology: The study adopts a qualitative, documentary design, drawing on government reports, United Nations and multilateral agency data, and peer-reviewed literature to analyze patterns of school-related insecurity across Nigeria between 2014 and 2026, interpreted through conflict theory. Results: Findings show that banditry and kidnapping intensify around election cycles as weakened security structures and politicized violence converge on vulnerable school environments, producing closures, declining enrollment, displacement, trauma, and measurable erosion of human capital. Consequences extend into declining foreign direct investment, rising food insecurity, and diminished confidence in governance institutions. Conclusions: Safeguarding education during political transitions requires integrated strategies that strengthen school security, enhance governance accountability, and embed community participation in protection planning, since protecting learners is inseparable from protecting Nigeria’s democratic future. Limitations: The documentary approach relies on secondary reports rather than direct interviews with affected students, teachers, or officials, and rapidly evolving incidents may outpace the data captured here. Contributions: The article contributes an integrated framework linking electoral insecurity, banditry, and educational disruption, offering policymakers an evidence base for election-cycle school protection strategies.]]>
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