As Nigeria continues to battle nonstate actors, at least 1,053 people have been brutally murdered in the last one year according to a report.
SBM Intelligence,, in a report published in August, also revealed that 7,568 Nigerians have been abducted while a whopping sum of N1. 05 billion naira has been extorted in ransom payments.
According to the Nigeria’s Africa-focused security gathering firm, the report covers only kidnapping incidents across Nigeria between July 2023 and June 2024 in the country.
The report which covers kidnapping incidents across Nigeria added that kidnappers demanded a staggering N10.9 billion in ransom before accepting N1.05 billion after negotiations in tune with the resources available to what the families of victims can afford.
The report titled “Grim Reaping: Economics of Nigeria’s Kidnap Industry – A 2024 Update,” the firm discovered that the kidnapping cases have reached alarming levels in the country, with the Northern regions bearing the brunt of this devastating crisis.
SBM highlighted the escalating security challenges in Nigeria, where the trend became a grimly lucrative enterprise and spiralled out of control, particularly in the North States.
The Northern States
The report discovered that the North, particularly the Northwest, has emerged as the epicentre of the kidnapping crisis where Zamfara, Kaduna, and Katsina, all in the North are the most affected.
Zamfara State, along with its neighbours, has seen a significant rise in both the number of incidents and the lethality of these crimes.
Of the 1,130 reported kidnapping cases, Zamfara, Kaduna, and Katsina have the highest numbers of incidents and victims. Zamfara recorded 132 incidents with 1,639 victims, Kaduna had 113 incidents with 1,113 victims, and Katsina reported 119 incidents with 887 victims.
The report noted that kidnapping has evolved beyond a crime of opportunity to a strategic tool used by armed groups to exert control over local populations in the region.
In states like Zamfara, mass abductions—incidents involving the kidnapping of five or more individuals at once—have become increasingly common.
These mass abductions often target entire communities, with bandit groups exploiting the region’s vast, but ungoverned spaces to hold their victims indefinitely.
In Zamfara, for instance, the number of civilian deaths has surged, making it the most deadly state in terms of kidnapping-related fatalities. The Northwest overall has seen an alarming rise in the number of people killed during these incidents, with an average of one person killed in every kidnapping attempt.
The report also reveals that women are more frequently targeted for abduction than men. This trend is particularly pronounced in the North, where the data shows a significant increase in the number of female victims over the past year. The reasons for this are varied, ranging from the perceived vulnerability of women to their value as bargaining chips in ransom negotiations.
Economic Drivers
The report also pointed out the worsening economic conditions in Nigeria as a key driver behind the surge in kidnappings. As poverty deepens and more people fall below the poverty line, kidnapping for ransom has become a survival strategy for many.
The once selective targeting of high-profile individuals has given way to a more indiscriminate approach, where even ordinary citizens, including women and children, are not spared.
Mass Abductions
The report by the SBM Intelligence explained that mass abductions have become a defining feature of the kidnapping crisis, especially in the North. From January to June 2024 alone, 135 mass abduction incidents were reported, involving 3,277 people and resulting in 125 deaths. Zamfara, Kaduna, and Katsina once again lead in the number of these incidents, with bandit groups targeting rural communities with little to no security presence.
These mass abductions are not only a tool of terror but also a means for these groups to extract concessions from the government and local communities. In some cases, victims are used as forced labour while negotiations are ongoing, further complicating rescue efforts and prolonging the suffering of those abducted.
The Impact on North
The economic and social impacts of the kidnapping crisis on Northern Nigeria is profound. The fear of abduction has paralyzed many communities, disrupting daily life and hindering economic activities. Farmers, who are particularly vulnerable to attacks, have abandoned their fields, exacerbating the region’s food insecurity. Schools have also become targets, leading to widespread closures and depriving children of their right to education.
Moreover, the psychological toll on victims and their families is immense. The trauma of abduction, coupled with the financial burden of paying ransoms, has left many families devastated. The report highlights cases where entire communities have had to come together to raise funds for ransom payments, further straining already limited resources.
Budgets for Security
From 2021 to 2024, the Nigerian Ministry of Defence got a budgetary allocation of N5.11 trillion to curtail the lingering insecurity across the nation.
In the 2021 budget, the ministry did not account for N966.4 billion. While N772.3 billion was allocated to personnel costs, overhead and capital costs garnered N66.2 billion and N127.8 billion respectively.
In 2022, N912.5 billion was budgeted for personnel costs, N83.5 billion for overhead and N204.6 was for capital costs, accumulatively totalling N1.2 billion.
Similarly, N1.25 trillion was allocated to the ministry in the 2023 budget, where N1 billion was given to the personnel, N97.1 billion and N285.04 were earmarked for the overhead cost and capital cost respectively, hence, totalling N1.38 trillion for the ministry.
In the 2024 budget, the Ministry of Defence was allocated N1.15 trillion for personnel; N116.5 billion for overhead and N308.2 billion for capital, totaling N1.57 trillion.
The lingering insecurity across the country, especially in the northwestern part of the country, calls into question the huge amount of funds expended amid the killings, and kidnappings coupled with sectarian crises that claimed thousands of lives.
Breaking the Cycle
The report suggests that addressing the kidnapping crisis in Northern Nigeria and beyond requires a comprehensive and coordinated approach. It calls for a disruption of the financial flows that sustain these criminal activities, including leveraging technology to track and block ransom payments, as well as strengthening the capacity of security forces to respond to kidnapping incidents.
SBM also emphasised a need for greater collaboration between state and federal governments to tackle the root causes of the insecurity including addressing the economic hardships that drive individuals into crime, improving governance, and restoring the rule of law in areas where bandit groups have established control.
