Kidnappers in Nigeria collect almost $5.8 million in ransom payments
A security consultancy reports that Nigerian abductors have received roughly $5.8 million in ransom over the last year, with kidnappings rising sharply.
According to SBM Intelligence, Nigerian kidnappers amassed 7.78 billion naira (approximately $5.79 million) in ransom fees from civilian abductions between July 2025 and June 2026. During that period, 7,825 individuals were kidnapped, marking a 66% rise compared with the year before, and at least 1,142 of those abductees were killed. Boko Haram, identified as Jama'atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda'awati Wal-Jihad, accounted for roughly 90% of the recorded ransom revenue, while the northwest saw a higher number of kidnapping incidents.
Two large-scale attacks each involved over 300 victims, including a November seizure of 315 pupils and staff from a school in Papiri, Niger State. The findings were released as President Bola Tinubu directed security forces to free as many as 600 people taken in a recent north-central raid. SBM warned that without a coordinated strategy targeting both the profitability and root causes of kidnappings, the practice could become entrenched as a funding source for militant groups.
Why it matters
The ransom earnings fuel militant groups and threaten Nigeria's security, education and public confidence.
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