Nigeria’s kidnapping crisis intensified over the 12 months to June 2026, with 7,825 people abducted and at least 1,142 people killed in kidnapping and related incidents, according to a new report by SBM Intelligence.
The report, titled The Capture of the Kidnap Economy, recorded a 66 per cent increase in kidnapping victims compared with the previous reporting period, when 4,722 victims were recorded. The figures were compiled from media reports, interviews and publicly available information, rather than an official government census.
SBM Intelligence also documented ₦7.78 billion in confirmed ransom payments, equivalent to about $5.79 million using the exchange rate cited by Reuters. The amount was more than three times the ₦2.56 billion recorded in the previous year.
However, the report noted that the actual amount paid in ransom is likely higher because many payments are never publicly disclosed.
The report further found that ransom demands actually declined during the period, falling from about ₦48 billion to ₦22.9 billion. Despite the lower demands, the proportion of demanded ransom that was reportedly collected increased significantly.
One of the most striking findings was the concentration of recorded ransom payments in the hands of the Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati Wal-Jihad (JAS) faction of Boko Haram.
According to SBM Intelligence, the faction was linked to approximately ₦7 billion, or about 90 per cent of the recorded ransom payments, from eight incidents.
Two large-scale abductions accounted for most of that amount. The first involved 416 people abducted in Ngoshe, Borno State, for which a ₦5 billion ransom was reportedly associated with the case. The second involved the abduction of 315 pupils and staff from St Mary’s School in Papiri, Niger State, with ₦2 billion reported in connection with the case.
The ransom figures associated with individual incidents should be treated with caution because authorities have disputed some reported payments, while SBM itself describes its overall ransom total as conservative.
Importantly, the report does not suggest that Boko Haram carried out most kidnappings in Nigeria.
The northwest continued to record more kidnapping incidents and victims than the northeast, showing that Nigeria’s kidnapping crisis remains broader than the activities of any single armed group.
The findings instead point to a disturbing imbalance in the financial side of the crisis: numerous kidnappers and bandit groups were associated with large numbers of victims and ransom demands, but a relatively small number of high-value mass abductions accounted for a substantial share of the ransom payments that SBM was able to verify.
The report also found that about 80 per cent of victims were abducted in group seizures, highlighting the growing importance of mass abductions in Nigeria’s kidnapping economy.
SBM Intelligence warned that the financial proceeds from kidnapping could provide a significant source of funding for armed groups and contribute to the persistence of insecurity.
The figures also underline the wider social consequences of kidnapping. Beyond the ransom payments themselves, families face disruption, businesses can suffer losses, communities can become fearful and schools may be affected when students and staff are targeted.
SBM’s data is based on publicly available information, interviews and media reports and should therefore not be interpreted as a complete count of every kidnapping or ransom payment in Nigeria.
For Nigerians, however, the central message remains clear: the country’s kidnapping problem is not only a security crisis but increasingly an economic one, with ransom payments creating financial incentives that can help sustain criminal and insurgent activity.
The report comes amid continued government efforts to address mass abductions and insecurity across the country. President Bola Tinubu has also ordered security forces to intensify efforts to rescue civilians abducted in separate incidents.
The latest figures show that tackling kidnapping will require more than responding to individual incidents. Addressing the wider problem will also require stronger protection for vulnerable communities, improved intelligence and emergency response, and measures aimed at reducing the financial incentives that make mass kidnapping profitable.
Source: SBM Intelligence, The Capture of the Kidnap Economy, as reported by Reuters and Nigerian media.
