Kidnappers in Nigeria collected more than $5 million in ransoms in a year, analysts say

Kidnappers in Nigeria amassed over $5 million in ransom payments over the past year, a Lagos-based intelligence group reported on Thursday, amid a complex security crisis. Kehinde Giwa, a security analyst at SBM Intelligence, argued that every ransom paid fuels further kidnappings. SBM Intelligence disclosed in a report on Wednesday that $5.8 million was paid for 7,825 kidnappings between July 2025 and June 2026, marking a 66% rise from the previous year.

Abductions are frequent in Nigeria, where militant groups target schoolchildren and civilians to coerce the government and secure ransoms. Recently, dozens were abducted from a mosque in northern Nigeria's Niger state. Bandit groups, often former herders, frequently launch raids and kidnappings for ransom in the northwest and north-central regions.

These groups include former herders who have taken up arms against farming communities due to resource shortages. An Islamic militant insurgency has plagued Nigeria’s northeast for over a decade. Giwa from SBM Intelligence lamented that "Nigeria is not winning the war" as over 21 kidnappings occur daily.