A recent report has revealed the alarming scale of Nigeria’s kidnapping crisis.
Between July 2024 and June 2025, 4,722 people were abducted, with N2.57 billion paid in ransom.
The report, titled Economics of Nigeria’s Kidnap Industry, paints a picture of a growing criminal enterprise driven by poverty, weak law enforcement, and the devaluation of the naira. Kidnappers demanded over N48 billion during the year, but only a fraction was paid.
At least 997 kidnapping incidents were recorded nationwide, with 762 people killed.
The report noted that the naira value of ransom has risen sharply over the years, though the dollar equivalent lags due to ongoing currency devaluation.
In 2022, N653.7 million ($1.13 million) was paid, dropping to N302 million ($387,179) in 2023.
The figures rose again to N1.05 billion in 2024 ($655,000) and reached N2.56 billion ($1.66 million) in the latest review.
The research highlighted that kidnappers are increasingly demanding higher naira ransoms to counter the currency’s weakening value, turning kidnapping from a symptom of weak security into a self-sustaining business model.
The northern region bears the brunt of the crisis. Katsina led with 131 incidents, while Zamfara recorded the highest number of victims at 1,203—more than a quarter of the national total.
Four of the five states with the most incidents are in the north, with Delta State completing the list.
Kidnappers also became more audacious in 2025.
The report cited the abduction of Chidimma and Precious Enuma, along with their aunt in Delta State, where perpetrators demanded N30 billion, representing 62.5 per cent of all ransom demands in the period.
The report warned that unless security forces dismantle kidnap networks and address underlying issues like poverty and unemployment, abductions will continue unchecked.
It urged the government to disrupt the financial networks of kidnappers and stabilize the economy to reduce criminal recruitment.
Without coordinated strategies targeting both the profitability of crime and its socioeconomic drivers, Nigeria risks entrenching kidnapping as a national industry, perpetuating poverty, undermining recovery, and leaving citizens in perpetual fear.
The report stressed that the time for half-measures has passed and called for urgent reforms to dismantle the ransom economy and restore public safety.
Source – BarristerNG.
(vitalnewsngr.com)
