1,056 Nigerians Killed, N10.9bn Ransom Demanded by Suspected Kidnappers in One Year, Report Says 

At least 1,056 Nigerians were killed in kidnap-related cases while their abductors demanded N10.9 billion between July 2023 and June 2024, a new report by SB Morgen (SBM) Intelligence has revealed.

Whether by the Boko Haram In Northeast, armed gangs in the Northcentral and Northwest, secessionist violence in the Southeast, and gang-related issues in the Southwest, the report stated that with the diverse security threats, widespread kidnap for ransom emerged a common thread.

Between July 2023 and June 2024, the SBM research found that no fewer than 7,568 people were abducted in 1,130 incidents across the country.

“In that same period, kidnappers demanded at least the sum of N10,995,090,000 (approximately $6,871,931) as ransom but received N1,048,110,000, a mere 9.5 per cent of the money demanded, indicating that kidnappers have become less targeted in their victimology,” the report said.

Of the 1,130 reported kidnapping cases, Zamfara, Kaduna, and Katsina had the highest numbers of incidents and victims.

While 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 three states, according to SBM, also had the highest number of civilian deaths.

“In the year under review, kidnapping has become more lethal, with 1,056 people killed in 1,130 reported kidnap incidents. On average, someone is killed each time there is an attempted kidnap,” it stated.

Titled: “From Reaping: Economics of Nigeria’s Kidnapping Industry”, the report stated that the seat of power, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) had the highest ransom demands, followed closely by Lagos and Kaduna.

When comparing geopolitical zones, the Southeast, it said, had the highest ransom paid and collection rate overall.

“This year, as in previous years, kidnappers have continued to demand in-kind payments from victims’ families, ranging from food, drinks and cigarettes in the South to motorcycles in the North,” SBM said.

It highlighted that something that may cause problems in future is that kidnappers are increasingly breaking trust, explaining that more than four ransom bearers had been killed, and three others abducted this year.

“If this trend persists, it may get more challenging to find people eager or willing to deliver ransoms on behalf of victims,” the report added.

A notable feature of this year’s kidnapping incidents, it said, is the prevalence of mass abductions and kidnap events in which at least five people are abducted, particularly in the North.

From January to June, it recorded that there had been 135 mass abduction incidents involving at least five victims per incident, with 3,277 people kidnapped and 125 killed. SBM’s analysis revealed that women are more frequently kidnapped than men.

Comparing kidnapping incident trends from 2022 to 2024, it said the South had seen only a slight increase in absolute numbers. However, it noted that the North has experienced a dramatic rise in incidents this year, surpassing the combined totals of the previous two years, signalling a rapidly worsening and out-of-control situation.

“As the country’s economic challenges deepen and more individuals fall below the poverty line, more people have taken to kidnapping for ransom for survival. To prevent this crime from becoming an entrenched norm, there is an urgent need for a comprehensive and coordinated effort to disrupt the financial flows that sustain these criminal activities,” the report said.

As the state’s influence wanes, armed groups and non-state actors, according to the report, have stepped in to fill the power vacuum, establishing control in different regions. It said that these groups have exacerbated the country’s food crisis and inflation.

Nigeria’s insecurity, the report said, has deteriorated, likely because as more people have become poorer from a stagnant economy, they have become desperate and have resorted to kidnapping for ransom for survival.

As such, the pool for high net worth individuals has shrunk, making everyone, including the bourgeoisie, students, infants, among others, a target, it argued.

Some organisations, particularly government bodies, it said often choose not to disclose whether a ransom was paid or the amount involved, as a matter of principle.

This disparity in the number of abductees compared to states with the lowest kidnapping figures, such as Gombe, Jigawa and Bayelsa, it said, is due to the prevalence of mass abductions in the worst-affected North-western states like Zamfara, Kaduna and Katsina.

“In these areas, bandit groups frequently exploit the inadequate security presence to impose collective punishment on rural communities, often kidnapping entire villages or groups of commuters.

“ These groups sometimes use abducted individuals as forced labour while waiting for state governments to negotiate, whether for reduced military pressure or as retribution against communities suspected of cooperating with security forces,” part of the document said.

In the national figures, SBM said that more civilians have died during kidnap attempts than both kidnappers and security agents combined.

“The public’s involvement in meeting these ransom demands presents a significant danger. As kidnappers realise that their demands are being met not just by families but by entire communities or public contributions, they are likely to become even more resolute and unyielding.

“This shift in the burden of ransom payments from families and governments to the public could lead to a dangerous escalation in the frequency and severity of kidnappings,” the report added.

Emmanuel Addeh

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