No fewer than 1,142 people were killed in 1,713 kidnapping and kidnap-related incidents recorded across Nigeria between July 2025 and June 2026, while victims and their families paid about N7.8 billion in ransom, according to a report by SBM Intelligence.
The report, titled “The Capture of the Kidnap Economy,” said the number of people abducted during the period rose by 66 per cent compared with the previous cycle.
According to the report, a total of 7,825 people were abducted across the 1,713 incidents reviewed, with 895 civilians reportedly killed in the incidents documented.
SBM Intelligence also found that the Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati Wal-Jihad (JAS) faction of Boko Haram accounted for about 90 per cent of the ransom actually paid, despite being linked to only a fraction of the incidents.
The report stated that while the total ransom demanded fell from N48 billion to N22.9 billion, the amount actually paid increased sharply from N2.56 billion to N7.78 billion.
It added that the collection rate consequently rose from 5.35 per cent to 34 per cent.
Two major abductions accounted for N7bn ransom
SBM Intelligence attributed the bulk of the ransom paid during the period to two major mass-abduction incidents.
The first involved the abduction of 416 people in Ngoshe, Borno State, for which N5 billion was reportedly paid.
The second involved 315 pupils and staff of St Mary’s School in Papiri, Niger State, with N2 billion reportedly paid as ransom.
Together, the two incidents accounted for N7 billion, representing almost the entire ransom payment recorded nationally during the period under review.
The report said, “Two abductions drove the year’s total: the N5 billion ransom for 416 captives taken from Ngoshe, Borno, and the N2 billion paid for 315 pupils and staff abducted from St Mary’s School in Papiri, Niger.”
Northwest records highest kidnapping figures
The North-West geopolitical zone recorded the highest number of kidnapping incidents, victims and deaths during the period, according to the report.
SBM Intelligence identified Zamfara State as the worst affected, recording 236 kidnapping incidents involving 1,921 victims.
The figure represented nearly a quarter of all kidnapping victims recorded nationwide.
The report noted that northern Nigeria accounted for 93.7 per cent of all abducted persons, while the southern part of the country accounted for only 6.3 per cent.
Mass abduction becomes dominant tactic
SBM Intelligence identified mass abduction as the most common method used by kidnappers during the period.
Zamfara recorded 92 mass-abduction incidents, while Sokoto followed with 76 cases.
The report also warned of a resurgence in school kidnappings, noting that the Papiri incident highlighted the wider consequences of abductions for education, agriculture and public confidence.
It further stated that paying ransom did not guarantee the survival of victims.
According to the report, victims were killed after ransom payments in at least six incidents, while ransom negotiators and bearers were themselves increasingly targeted by kidnappers.
In 14 incidents, the criminals reportedly demanded items including motorcycles, mobile phones, food, fuel and other goods instead of cash.
Boko Haram faction dominates ransom payments
Although many kidnapping incidents were attributed to bandits and criminal gangs, SBM Intelligence said the ransom eventually paid was heavily concentrated in the hands of one terrorist organisation.
The report explained that ordinary bandits and criminal gangs demanded about N13.5 billion but collected only N719 million, representing a collection rate of 5.3 per cent.
By comparison, the JAS faction of Boko Haram demanded N9.2 billion and collected N7 billion, giving it a collection rate of about 76 per cent.
SBM Intelligence said this showed that Nigeria’s kidnapping crisis should not be viewed solely as a criminal enterprise, as ransom payments are increasingly helping to finance terrorism.
Report calls for action against kidnapping economy
The research organisation called for measures aimed at disrupting the financial networks that sustain kidnapping and insurgency, while also addressing the economic conditions that help criminal groups recruit new members.
It warned that failure to adopt a coordinated approach could allow kidnapping to become permanently entrenched as both a profitable criminal enterprise and a source of funding for terrorist organisations.
The report urged authorities to target both the profitability of kidnapping and the underlying economic conditions driving recruitment into criminal groups.
SBM Intelligence concluded that while kidnapping remains widespread among bandits and criminal gangs, the ransom economy is increasingly being dominated by groups capable of extracting and collecting significantly larger payments.
