Nigeria: Ransom payments to kidnappers gulp ₦1.04bn in one year

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Ransom payments to kidnappers in Nigerians have hit a total of N1.04 billion.

SBM Intelligence, which disclosed this in a report, said the monies were ransom payments by Nigeruans to kidnappers within the review period.

The security intel explained that the total was gathered between July 2023 and June 2024, with the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) having the highest ransom demands, followed closely by Lagos and Kaduna.

According to the report, “When comparing geopolitical zones, the Southeast has the highest ransom paid and collection rate overall.”

The report also found that within the period under review, at least 7,568 people were abducted in 1,130 incidents across the country.

It stated that, “In that same period, kidnappers demanded at least the sum of ₦10,995,090,000 (approximately $6,871,931) as ransom but received ₦1,048,110,000, a mere 9.5% of the money demanded, indicating that kidnappers have become less targeted in
their victimology.

“Of the 1,130 reported kidnapping cases, Zamfara, Kaduna, and Katsina have the highest numbers of incidents and victims. Zamfara recorded 132 incidents with 1,639 victims, Kaduna had 113 incidents with 1,113 victims, and Katsina reported 119 incidents with 887 victims.

“These three states also have the highest number of civilian deaths. In the year under review in this report, kidnapping has become more lethal, with 1,056 people killed in 1,130 reported kidnap incidents.”

The report also said on an average, someone is killed each time there is an attempted kidnap.

“This year, as in previous years, kidnappers have continued to demand in-kind payments from victims’ families, ranging from food, drinks and cigarettes in the South to motorcycles in the North.

“More than four ransom bearers have been killed, and three others abducted this year, and if this trend persists, it may get more challenging to find people eager or willing to deliver ransoms on behalf of victims,” it stated.