Over 1,140 people lost their lives and N7.78 billion ($5.8 million) was paid in ransoms across 1,713 kidnap and kidnap-related incidents between July 2025 and June 2026, according to a landmark security report released by Lagos-based geopolitical research firm SBM Intelligence on Wednesday, August 26, 2026.
The report released on Thursday, August 27, titled The Capture of Nigeria’s Kidnap Economy, exposes a escalating security collapse. Total abductions surged to 7,825 victims during the 12-month period, a 66% jump compared to the 4,722 victims recorded in the preceding cycle.
Total confirmed ransom payments more than tripled from N2.56 billion to N7.78 billion, reflecting a sharp rise in the successful collection rate of armed groups from 5.3% to 34%.
The security crisis claims a staggering human toll: out of 1,142 recorded fatalities, 895 were civilians, 179 were kidnappers, and 68 were security forces personnel.
Northern states accounted for 7,334 victims (93.7% of the national total). Zamfara State led the nation with 236 separate incidents and 1,921 victims, followed by Sokoto (1,157 victims) and Kaduna (814 victims).
SBM identified 396 mass abduction events (incidents involving 5 or more victims), which comprised nearly 80% of all kidnap victims nationwide.
The Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati Wal-Jihad (Boko Haram) faction collected N7.0015 billion, roughly 90% of all documented ransom payments from just eight major operations.
The largest single payment occurred in April 2026, when N5 billion was paid following the abduction of 416 people in Ngoshe, Borno State. Another N2 billion was paid after the November 2025 raid on St. Mary’s School in Papiri, Niger State.
”Without a coordinated strategy that targets both the profitability of the crime and its roots, Nigeria risks entrenching kidnapping not merely as a criminal industry, but as a primary funding mechanism for the very terror networks threatening state stability,” stated Tobi Tunji, lead security analyst at SBM Intelligence.
Despite widespread calls for government action, official responses remain elusive. State House spokesperson Ajuri Ngelale and Director of Defence Media Operations Major General Edward Buba did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the report’s findings.
However, during a morning press briefing at the Defence Headquarters in Abuja, military leadership reaffirmed ongoing operations across the Northwest and North-Central regions to dismantle bandit networks and secure the release of captives.
SBM Intelligence warned that as extortion payments become more reliable revenue streams for insurgents, local economies, particularly agriculture and education, will face further devastation without structural security reforms.
