Nigerian gunmen raise over $5 million from mass kidnappings, study finds
Nigerian kidnappers collected an estimated $5.8 million in ransom payments from civilian abductions over the past year, according to security consultancy SBM Intelligence, as the growing crime continues to disrupt education and weaken public confidence in the government.
The consultancy reported that 7,825 people were abducted between July 2025 and June 2026, representing a 66% increase from the previous year. At least 1,142 people were killed during the period, while confirmed ransom payments more than tripled to 7.78 billion naira ($5.79 million).
SBM said its figures were based on media reports, interviews and publicly available data. It noted that the actual amount paid in ransom is likely significantly higher because many transactions are never reported.
According to the report, a faction of Boko Haram accounted for about 90% of recorded ransom payments from kidnappings in northeastern Nigeria. However, the northwest recorded a higher number of kidnapping incidents and victims.
The findings come as President Bola Tinubu ordered security agencies to rescue up to 600 civilians reportedly abducted in Niger State last week.
Neither the presidency nor the military immediately responded to requests for comment on the report.
Kidnapping for ransom has become a major component of Nigeria’s worsening security challenges, with armed bandits and Islamist militants targeting schools, communities and major roads. Victims are often held for weeks or months while their families negotiate ransom payments.
SBM estimated that Boko Haram, officially known as Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati Wal-Jihad, received roughly 7 billion naira in ransom, largely from two mass abductions in which more than 300 people were taken in each incident.
Among the major incidents was the November abduction of 315 pupils and staff from a school in Papiri, Niger State. School kidnappings have continued more than a decade after Boko Haram’s 2014 attack on a girls’ school in Chibok, Borno State, drew global attention to the crisis.
The SBM report warned that the resurgence of school abductions could have far-reaching consequences for education, agriculture and public trust in government.
Insecurity is expected to feature prominently in Nigeria’s next elections, scheduled for January.
Tinubu, who came to power three years ago, pledged to address the country’s security problems, following similar commitments by previous administrations. However, analysts say the recent surge in kidnappings indicates that significant progress has yet to be achieved.
SBM warned that without a coordinated approach aimed at reducing the financial incentives behind kidnapping while addressing the underlying causes, the crime could become deeply entrenched and provide a major source of funding for groups threatening Nigeria’s stability.
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