Nigerians paid ₦1.04billion as ransom to kidnappers in one year, a new report by SBM Intelligence has revealed.
According to the firm, between July 2023 and June 2024, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) recorded the highest ransom demands, trailed by Lagos and Kaduna.
“When comparing geopolitical zones, the Southeast has the highest ransom paid and collection rate overall,” SBM stated.
The intelligence agency said that its research revealed that within the period under review, no fewer than 7,568 people were abducted in 1,130 incidents across the country.
It said: “In that same period, kidnappers demanded at least the sum of ₦10,995,090,000 (approximately $6,871,931) as ransom but received ₦1,048,110,000, a mere 9.5% of the money demanded, indicating that kidnappers have become less targeted in
their victimology.
“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.
“These three states also have the highest number of civilian deaths. In the year under review in this report, kidnapping has become more lethal, with 1,056 people killed in 1,130 reported kidnap incidents.”
According to the report, on an average, someone is killed each time there is an attempted kidnap.
“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.
“More than four ransom bearers have been killed, and three others abducted this year, and 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.