Nigeria kidnappers collected more than $5 million in ransom payments over the past year, highlighting the growing scale of the country’s security crisis, according to a new report.
SBM Intelligence, a Lagos-based intelligence group, said kidnappers received 7.78 billion naira, or about $5.8 million, between July 2025 and June 2026.
The report also recorded 7,825 kidnapping victims during the same period. That figure represents a 66% increase compared with the previous year.
Nigeria Faces Rising Kidnapping Threat
Security analysts say ransom payments can encourage criminal groups to carry out more abductions.
“For every ransom that is paid for a kidnapping incident, you are simply birthing another kidnapping incident,” security analyst Kehinde Giwa of SBM Intelligence told The Associated Press.
Giwa also warned that Nigeria is struggling to contain the problem, with nearly 21 kidnapping incidents reportedly occurring each day.
Bandits Target Civilians Across Nigeria
Kidnappings have become a persistent security challenge in several parts of Nigeria.
Armed groups commonly known as bandits operate across the northwest and north-central regions. They frequently target civilians, schoolchildren and communities while demanding money for their release.
Authorities have linked some of these groups to former herders who became armed fighters following prolonged conflicts with farming communities over land and other resources.
However, kidnapping is not Nigeria’s only major security threat.
Insurgency Adds to Security Crisis
Northeastern Nigeria continues to face an insurgency involving Islamic militant groups.
The violence has lasted for more than a decade and has caused widespread displacement and loss of life.
As a result, communities in different parts of the country face different forms of insecurity. While bandits dominate some regions, militant attacks remain a major concern in the northeast.
Victim Describes Four Weeks in Captivity
The human cost of the kidnapping crisis remains severe.
Abba Bukar, a resident of Maiduguri in Borno state, said kidnappers abducted him near a university in June.
He spent about four weeks in captivity before his family secured his release.
Bukar said his father paid around 2 million naira, or roughly $1,500, to the kidnappers. To raise the money, his father reportedly sold property and belongings and borrowed additional funds.
The family continues to face financial difficulties after the ordeal.
Mosque Abduction Highlights Growing Fear
The threat has also reached places where people traditionally feel safe.
Last week, dozens of people were reportedly kidnapped from a mosque during a series of attacks on villages in Niger state.
Such incidents have increased fears among residents and placed additional pressure on Nigerian authorities to improve security.
Ransom Economy Fuels Criminal Networks
The growing amount of ransom money has raised concerns about the financial incentives behind kidnappings.
Analysts argue that every successful payment can provide criminal groups with additional resources to organize future attacks.
At the same time, families often face an impossible choice when relatives are held hostage. Many resort to borrowing money or selling assets because they fear that refusing to pay could put their loved ones at greater risk.
US and Nigeria Strengthen Security Cooperation
Nigeria has also received increased security assistance from the United States as it confronts multiple armed threats.
The two countries recently formed a military partnership aimed at addressing Nigeria’s broader security crisis.
The United States sent troops to Nigeria in February to advise and support the country’s military. Washington also deployed drones in March following concerns over militant violence.
The cooperation reflects growing international concern about Nigeria’s security situation.
Nigeria Under Pressure to Stop Abductions
The latest ransom figures underline the scale of the challenge facing Nigeria.
More than 7,800 people were reportedly kidnapped in just one year, while criminals collected millions of dollars from their families.
For security analysts, reducing kidnappings will require more than rescuing victims after attacks. Authorities will also need to disrupt the criminal networks, improve intelligence operations and prevent ransom payments from becoming a sustainable source of income for armed groups.
As Giwa warned, continued ransom payments risk creating another cycle of abductions, leaving Nigerian families and communities facing an increasingly dangerous security environment.
