A new report by SBM Intelligence has revealed the alarming scale of Nigeria’s kidnapping crisis, showing that between July 2024 and June 2025, at least 4,722 people were kidnapped across the country. Families of victims paid a total of ₦2.57 billion as ransom during this period, even though kidnappers demanded more than ₦48 billion.
The report, titled Economics of Nigeria’s Kidnap Industry, describes kidnapping as a fast-growing criminal business in Nigeria, driven by poverty, unemployment, weak law enforcement, and the falling value of the naira. SBM also recorded 997 kidnap incidents nationwide within the one-year period, with 762 people killed in related attacks.
“Nigeria’s kidnapping crisis has evolved into a lucrative criminal enterprise, with ₦2.56 billion ($1.66 million) confirmed in ransom payments and 4,722 civilians abducted in just one year,” the report stated.
The study also highlighted how ransom payments have changed over time. In 2022, families paid about ₦653.7 million ($1.13 million). This amount fell in 2023 to ₦302 million ($387,179) but increased again in 2024 to ₦1.05 billion ($655,000). The latest figure shows ₦2.56 billion was paid in 2025, yet because of the naira’s depreciation, this only amounted to $1.66 million. According to SBM, “This significant divergence between the NGN and USD amounts reflects the ongoing devaluation of the Nigerian currency.”
The report explained that kidnappers are now demanding higher ransom amounts in naira to cover the loss of value, making kidnapping a “self-sustaining business model” instead of just a symptom of Nigeria’s weak security system.
Northern Nigeria remains the most affected by the crisis. Katsina recorded the highest number of incidents, with 131 cases, while Zamfara had the largest number of victims, with 1,203 people abducted—25.4 percent of all cases. Other heavily affected states include Kaduna with 123 cases, Niger with 40, and Delta with 49 cases, making it the only non-northern state in the top five. SBM noted, “Of the top five states in the number of incidents, four-fifths are northern… Delta completes the five states with 49 incidents.”
The report also pointed out that ransom demands became bolder in 2025. One example was the abduction of Chidimma and Precious Enuma, along with their aunt Anwuri Oko Ye, in Delta State. Their kidnappers demanded ₦30 billion, which represented 62.5 percent of all ransom requests during the review period.
SBM warned that without strong and immediate action, the kidnapping industry will continue to thrive. “Unless security forces dismantle these networks and address root causes — poverty, unemployment, and weak law enforcement — the cycle of kidnappings, ransoms, and deaths will continue unchecked, leaving ordinary Nigerians in perpetual fear,” the report said.
The firm urged the government to disrupt kidnappers’ financial channels using modern tracking technology, while also stabilising the economy to reduce recruitment into criminal groups. It concluded, “But without coordinated strategies targeting both the crime’s profitability and its socioeconomic drivers, Nigeria risks entrenching kidnapping as a grim national industry, one that perpetuates poverty, undermines recovery, and leaves citizens hostage to a failing system. The time for half-measures has passed.”
