4,722 kidnapped, ₦2.57bn paid by Nigerians in 12 months
No fewer than 4,722 people were kidnapped across Nigeria between July 2024 and June 2025, with ₦2.57 billion paid in ransoms against demands totalling ₦48 billion, according to a new report by SBM Intelligence.
The study, Locust Business: The Economics of Nigeria’s Kidnap Industry A 2025 Update, documents a crisis that has become entrenched as both a national security threat and an illicit economic sector.
During the year under review, 997 incidents of kidnapping were recorded nationwide, leading to 762 deaths. Civilians made up the majority of the fatalities, with 563 killed, while 180 kidnappers and 19 security agents also lost their lives.
The report underlines the human toll of the crisis, noting that ransom payments are no guarantee of survival: at least 32 victims were killed in captivity despite payments being made by their families. In some cases, ransom bearers themselves were abducted or killed after delivering money
The Northwest remains the centre of the problem. Zamfara State had the highest number of kidnap victims, 1,203 in total, while Katsina reported the largest number of incidents, 131.
Kaduna recorded 629 victims. Together, these three states alone accounted for nearly half of all abductions nationwide. Sokoto and Niger also ranked among the top five. By contrast, southern states such as Lagos and Osun reported very low figures, nine and one victim respectively, though targeted abductions still occurred in parts of Delta, Rivers and Anambra states.
Religious figures continued to be targeted, particularly in the Catholic Church. At least 17 priests were abducted, mostly in Borno and Kaduna states, with average ransom demands of ₦85 million. In one high-profile case, Rev. Fr. Sylvester Okechukwu was killed in Kaduna despite his abductors collecting ransom. Other clergy, including nuns and catechists, were also kidnapped.
The report suggests that while ransom payments may sometimes reduce the risk of clergy being killed, the practice has expanded to include a wider circle of religious stakeholders.
Mass abductions remain a defining feature of the crisis. SBM Intelligence recorded 231 incidents involving more than five victims each, representing 23 per cent of all cases. Zamfara alone accounted for 50 such incidents, during which 1,064 people were abducted.
Bandit groups often use these operations to punish entire communities accused of collaborating with security forces or failing to pay imposed levies. Victims of mass abductions are sometimes forced into labour on farms and mines run by the kidnappers, blurring the line between crime and a parallel form of coerced economic activity.
The intersection of kidnapping and terrorism is also pronounced. Islamist groups, including Boko Haram and the Mahmuda sect, were linked to about one-third of ransom payments. The single largest ransom, ₦766 million, was paid in Borno for the release of Justice Haruna Mshelia, abducted in September 2024. This reflects how extremist groups use ransom proceeds to sustain operations, fund recruitment, and purchase weapons, blurring distinctions between ideological insurgency and criminal enterprise.
The report also highlights how Nigeria’s economic challenges shape the kidnapping industry. While ransom demands and payments in naira have risen sharply, their dollar equivalent has stagnated or fallen because of currency devaluation. In 2022, ransom payments of ₦653 million were valued at $1.13 million.
By 2025, payments reached ₦2.57 billion but were worth only $1.66 million at prevailing exchange rates. Kidnappers demand larger sums in local currency to compensate for its declining value, while communities face ever greater financial strain.
Beyond the direct financial costs, the wider economic and social impact is significant. Farmers in high-risk regions have abandoned fields, undermining food production and threatening food security. Schools in conflict-prone areas have been shut down, leaving millions of children out of classrooms and disrupting long-term education. Businesses in northern Nigeria are relocating or shutting down operations, reducing employment opportunities and weakening local economies.
These developments deepen poverty in regions already struggling with high unemployment and poor infrastructure.
Public trust in state institutions continues to erode. An Afrobarometer survey cited by the report found that 68 per cent of Nigerians believe security forces are handling insecurity poorly. This perception discourages cooperation with authorities and strengthens reliance on vigilante groups, which in some areas have become de facto security providers. While such groups occasionally deter attacks, they also complicate official security efforts and contribute to cycles of reprisal violence.
SBM Intelligence also said that kidnapping for ransom has grown into a self-sustaining economic model, no longer merely a symptom of weak security but a lucrative and pervasive industry.
(Guardian)
