REPORT: Over 7,800 abducted, 1,142 Killed as Kidnappers Collect #7.8BN Ransom in a Year
More than 1,100 people were killed and N7.8 billion paid in ransom across Nigeria between July 2025 and June 2026, according to a new report by SBM Intelligence.
The report, titled The Capture of the Kidnap Economy, said 7,825 people were abducted in 1,713 kidnapping and related incidents during the period, representing a 66% increase in victims compared with the previous cycle.
It said ransom demanded fell from N48 billion to N22.9 billion, but the amount actually paid more than tripled from N2.56 billion to N7.78 billion.
A single Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati Wal-Jihad (JAS) faction of Boko Haram accounted for about 90% of the ransom paid, collecting N7 billion from just eight incidents.
Two major abductions accounted for most of the amount: N5 billion reportedly paid for 416 captives abducted in Ngoshe, Borno State, and N2 billion paid for 315 pupils and staff abducted from St Mary’s School in Papiri, Niger State.
The Northwest recorded the highest number of incidents, victims and deaths. Zamfara alone recorded 236 kidnapping incidents involving 1,921 victims, while the North accounted for 93.7% of all reported abductions.
SBM Intelligence identified mass abduction as the most common method, with 92 such incidents recorded in Zamfara and 76 in Sokoto. The report also noted a resurgence in school kidnappings.
It warned that paying ransom does not always guarantee survival, noting that victims were killed after ransom payments in at least six cases. In 14 incidents, kidnappers demanded goods such as motorcycles, phones, food and fuel instead of cash.
The report urged authorities to disrupt the financial flows sustaining kidnapping and insurgency while addressing the economic conditions that help supply recruits to criminal groups.
It warned that without a coordinated strategy targeting both the profitability and root causes of kidnapping, the crime could become an entrenched funding mechanism for groups threatening Nigeria’s stability
