Nigerian kidnappers collected nearly $5.8 million in ransom payments over the past year from civilian abductions, according to a security consultancy report that highlights how the crime is crippling education and eroding public trust. SBM Intelligence reported that 7,825 people were kidnapped between July 2025 and June 2026, marking a 66% increase from the previous year.
## Ransom Payments Triple as Kidnappings Surge Across Nigeria
Total confirmed ransom payments more than tripled to 7.78 billion naira, equivalent to $5.79 million, according to SBM Intelligence data released on Wednesday. At least 1,142 people were killed during these incidents over the same twelve-month period.
The figures rely on media reports, interviews, and publicly available information. SBM notes that the totals remain conservative because many ransom payments go undisclosed by families and communities desperate to secure the release of loved ones.
## Boko Haram Factions and Regional Variations in Kidnapping
A faction of the Islamist group Boko Haram collected 90% of recorded ransom payments from abductions in the northeast, according to SBM. The group received about 7 billion naira, driven largely by two mass casualty incidents where attackers seized more than 300 people in each event.
While the northeast generated the highest ransom totals, the northwest experienced a higher volume of individual incidents and victims. Criminal gangs, commonly referred to as bandits, routinely target villages, main roads, and schools, holding captives for weeks or months until payments are finalized.
> “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 funding mechanism for the very groups that most threaten its stability,” SBM stated in its report.
## The Resurgence of School Abductions in Niger State
The security findings coincide with a directive from Nigeria’s president ordering security forces to rescue as many as 600 civilians kidnapped last week in north-central Niger State. Residents reported that the captives, including women, children, and older people, were seized during an attack on a mosque.
The crisis continues to heavily impact educational institutions. In November, attackers seized 315 pupils and staff from a school in Papiri, Niger state.
“School abductions have resurged, with the Papiri attack reviving a tactic whose costs ripple through education, farming and public trust,” the SBM report stated. Schools remain targeted over a decade after Boko Haram’s raid on a school in Borno’s Chibok brought mass student abductions to international attention.
Did You Know?
## Political Stakes and Government Response
Nigeria’s persistent security crisis is expected to serve as a central issue in the next elections in January. President Bola Tinubu pledged upon taking office three years ago to tackle insecurity, mirroring the promises of his predecessors.
However, analysts note that the recent wave of kidnappings demonstrates that current state policies have failed to deliver tangible progress on the ground. Neither the presidency nor the Nigerian military immediately responded to requests for comment regarding the findings in the SBM report.
## Frequently Asked Questions
### How much money did Nigerian kidnappers collect in ransoms?
According to SBM Intelligence, kidnappers collected 7.78 billion naira, or approximately $5.79 million, between July 2025 and June 2026.
### How many people were abducted in Nigeria over the past year?
Researchers recorded 7,825 kidnappings during the year ending in June 2026, representing a 66% increase from the previous year.
### Who is carrying out the mass abductions?
Kidnappings are conducted by heavily armed bandits and Islamist militants, including a faction of Boko Haram that collected the vast majority of recorded ransom payments in the northeast.
### What is the government doing to address the crisis?
The Nigerian president recently ordered security forces to rescue up to 600 civilians seized in Niger State, though analysts continue to call for a more coordinated strategy targeting the financial drivers of the crime.
Keep reading