Nigeria’s kidnapping crisis is revealing a disturbing new pattern: the biggest ransom earnings are no longer spread evenly among criminal gangs but are increasingly concentrated among highly organised insurgent networks.
Fresh data from SBM Intelligence shows that Nigerians paid ₦7.78 billion in ransom between July 2025 and June 2026, even though kidnappers demanded a much larger ₦22.9 billion during the period.
The most striking finding is that the Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati Wal-Jihad (JAS) faction of Boko Haram accounted for about ₦7 billion, or 90 per cent of the ransom actually paid.
That means one insurgent network collected almost the same amount of ransom as all other kidnapping groups combined.
The development provides a fresh insight into Nigeria’s kidnapping crisis: the problem is not only the number of people being abducted, but who is making the most money from the crime.
Two abductions, ₦7bn payout
Two mass kidnappings accounted for about ₦7 billion of the total ransom paid.
About ₦5 billion was reportedly paid for 416 people abducted in Ngoshe, Borno State, while another ₦2 billion was paid for 315 pupils and staff abducted from St Mary’s School, Papiri, Niger State.
The figures suggest that mass abductions have become a major source of financing for organised armed groups.
Kidnapping becoming an organised economy
SBM Intelligence recorded 7,825 victims in 1,713 kidnapping-related incidents during the period.
While bandits and criminal gangs demanded about ₦13.5 billion, they collected only ₦719 million.
JAS, on the other hand, demanded ₦9.2 billion and collected ₦7 billion.
The sharp difference points to a growing divide between widespread kidnapping carried out by fragmented criminal groups and highly organised operations capable of converting mass abductions into large financial returns.
The North accounted for 93.7 per cent of all kidnapping victims, with Zamfara recording 1,921 victims in 236 incidents.
Mass abductions also dominated the pattern, with about four out of every five victims taken in group seizures.
The consequences extend beyond ransom payments, affecting schools, farming communities and rural livelihoods.
Despite the billions paid, ransom did not always guarantee survival.
SBM reported that at least six victims were killed even after ransom had been paid.
The report also found that some kidnappers now demand motorcycles, phones, food and fuel instead of cash, showing how criminal networks are adjusting to victims’ limited financial capacity.
With more than 17,000 missing-person cases being tracked by the International Committee of the Red Cross, the figures suggest that Nigeria’s kidnapping crisis is evolving beyond isolated criminal incidents.
The emerging question is no longer simply how much kidnappers demand, but how much their operations are generating — and where that money ultimately goes.
