Between July 2025 and June 2026, Nigeria recorded 7,825 people abducted across 1,713 kidnap and kidnap-related incidents, according to SBM Intelligence’s annual Economics of Nigeria’s Kidnap Industry report.
The report states that “between July 2025 and June 2026, no fewer than 7,825 people were abducted in 1,411 kidnap incidents and 302 kidnap-related incidents, 1,713 in all.”
Kidnap-related incidents, the report explains, are “security-force operations against kidnappers”, a development that “brought about the deaths of at least 1,142 people.”
The financial scale of the crisis is staggering. In the same period, kidnappers and allied groups demanded N22.856 billion, which the report notes is equivalent to $16.75 million, and received N7.779 billion, or $5.7 million, in ransom payments, representing a collection rate of 34 percent.
The report emphasizes that both the tempo and the lethality of the crisis have risen sharply against the previous cycle, when 4,722 people were taken in 997 incidents and 762 were killed, and the collection rate stood at just 5.35 percent.
The amount paid has more than tripled while the amount demanded has actually fallen, a divergence the report describes as “explained later in this report.”
“In sum, this year has been not just between a seller’s market and a major willing buyer, but also an unremorseful buyer,” the report said.
The geographic breakdown reveals that Zamfara leads the nation in both incidents and victims, recording 236 kidnapping incidents, representing 16.74 percent of the national total, and 1,921 people abducted, accounting for 24.55 percent of the national total.
“Zamfara leads the way on both the number of kidnapping incidents (236) and the total number of people kidnapped (1,921),” the report said.
Katsina follows with 187 incidents but fewer victims at 559, which the report attributes to the effectiveness of state-backed vigilante groups.
The document explains that “state-backed vigilante groups led by the Katsina State Community Security Watch Corps have been better at resisting kidnappers than the Zamfara Community Protection Guards.”
Sokoto recorded 179 incidents with 1,157 abducted, attributed to “the influx of a mixed multitude of actors – bandits, very small kidnap gangs and, very importantly, the Islamist group Lakurawa.”
Kaduna ranks fourth with 134 incidents and 814 victims.
The disparity between northern and southern Nigeria is stark. The North accounts for 7,334 victims, representing 94 percent of the national total, while the South has just 491 victims, or 6.3 percent.
The report states that “the North accounts for 93.7% of all abducted persons, while the South’s share has shrunk to just 6.3%.”
On the ransom side, the Northeast paid the most, buoyed by the Ngoshe ransom, posting a collection rate of 85.7 percent, the highest in the country.
By contrast, the Southeast had the lowest collection rate at 1.3 percent, with the South-South only marginally better at 1.8 percent.
The report explains why there is often a gap between amount demanded and amount paid, noting that “a wide margin often exists between the amount requested and the amount paid because of a couple of issues.”
The methodology records “the first amount demanded once the kidnappers make contact with the victims’ families,” and “more often than not, these first demands are exorbitant and, depending on the socio-economic status of the victims, are beaten down to a figure acceptable to both parties.”
Other factors include that “outliers can skew the overall picture” and “dwindling financial resources, which sometimes leads victims to sweeten hostage-release deals with food and related items.”
At least 1,142 people were killed during the period, with civilian deaths accounting for 895, or 78.3 percent of the total, while 179 kidnappers were killed and 68 security force personnel lost their lives.
The report notes that “kidnapping for ransom continues to be a deadly business for nearly all participants.”
The previous cycle saw 4,722 people abducted, 762 killed, N48 billion demanded, and N2.56 billion paid at a collection rate of 5.35 percent, meaning the current cycle represents a 66 percent increase in victims, a 50 percent increase in deaths, a more than tripling of ransom paid, and a collection rate that has jumped more than sixfold.
(SaharaReporters)