Kidnappers collected $5.8m in ransom in one year – Report
Nigerian kidnappers collected at least ₦7.78 billion, equivalent to about $5.79 million, in confirmed ransom payments between July 2025 and June 2026, according to a report by security consultancy SBM Intelligence.
The report recorded 7,825 people abducted during the 12-month period, a 66% increase from the previous year. At least 1,142 people were killed in kidnapping-related incidents, while researchers warned that the actual number of victims and ransom payments could be higher because many cases and payments go unreported.
The findings point to kidnapping becoming an increasingly lucrative criminal enterprise in Nigeria. Boko Haram accounted for about 90% of the recorded ransom payments, largely because of two mass-abduction incidents involving more than 300 victims each. The Northwest, however, recorded the highest number of kidnapping incidents overall.
The report also highlights the impact on education, as schools and communities in areas affected by insecurity have increasingly become targets. One of the most significant recent cases was the abduction of hundreds of students and staff from a school in Papiri, Niger State, in November 2025.
The financial scale of the ransom economy comes as Nigeria continues to face pressure over its ability to protect citizens. The government has intensified military and security operations, including a major operation earlier this month that rescued more than 300 kidnapped people in Niger and Kwara states.
SBM Intelligence warned that without a coordinated strategy addressing both the profitability of kidnapping and the underlying conditions enabling armed groups to operate, the crime risks becoming further institutionalised as a source of funding for criminal and militant networks.
The figures provide a fresh indication of the scale of Nigeria’s kidnapping crisis, while also raising questions over how effectively security operations, ransom-payment policies and efforts to protect vulnerable communities are addressing the problem.
