Mass kidnappings generate over ₦7 billion in Nigeria as abductions surge 66%

Kidnapping groups in Nigeria collected at least 7.78 billion naira ($5.79 million) in ransom payments between July 2025 and June 2026, as civilian abductions escalated dramatically across the country.

A new report by Lagos-based risk consultancy SBM Intelligence reveals that 7,825 people were abducted during the 12-month period—a 66% increase compared to the previous year. At least 1,142 people were killed in connection with kidnapping incidents.

The security research firm noted that confirmed ransom payments more than tripled year-on-year. However, analysts emphasize that these figures represent a conservative baseline compiled from public reports, interviews, and media tracking, as many transactions remain undisclosed.

Insurgent Revenue Streams

The findings highlight a shift toward large-scale mass abductions, with 80% of victims taken in group raids on schools, rural communities, and transit corridors.

While the northwestern region recorded the highest frequency of incidents and victims, Islamist militants in the northeast secured the largest share of financial payouts. A faction of Boko Haram—Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati Wal-Jihad—collected an estimated 90% of all recorded ransom payments, accumulating roughly 7 billion naira ($5.2 million) primarily from two major mass abductions.

SBM Intelligence highlighted the stark financial contrast between ideological terror outfits and localized criminal gangs. Bandit groups operating in the Northwest demanded ₦13.5bn but collected just ₦719m—a 5.3% success rate. In contrast, Boko Haram demanded ₦9.2bn and collected ₦7bn, securing a 76% collection rate.

“Measured by what was demanded, the kidnap economy is a crime of the many. Measured by what was actually paid, it is dominated by a single terrorist organisation”, the report mentioned.

Among these was the November abduction in Papiri, Niger State, where 315 pupils and school staff were taken and the Ngoshe, Borno State incident where 416 were abducted and a ₦5bn payout was collected.

Zamfara State recorded the highest regional vulnerability, registering 236 separate incidents and 1,921 victims—representing nearly a quarter of all abductions nationwide.

“School abductions have resurged, with the Papiri attack reviving a tactic whose costs ripple through education, farming and public trust,” SBM Intelligence noted in its assessment.

Mounting Public Pressure

The publication of the report coincides with fresh security challenges in north-central Niger State, where President Bola Tinubu recently directed security agencies to rescue up to 600 civilians abducted in a single attack.

Despite campaign promises to curb widespread insecurity, President Tinubu’s administration faces growing criticism over the expanding scope of criminal enterprise and terrorism funding.

SBM Intelligence warned that failure to disrupt the financial networks driving these operations threatens long-term national stability.

“Without a coordinated strategy that targets both the profitability of the crime and its roots, Nigeria risks entrenching kidnapping not merely as a criminal industry but as a funding mechanism for the very groups that most threaten its stability,” the report stated.

The Nigerian presidency and military authorities have not issued an official response to the report’s conclusions.