More people have taken to kidnapping for ransom for survival as a result of deepening economic challenges in Nigeria and as more individuals fall below the poverty line, SBM Intelligence has said.
TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports SBM Intelligence made this disclosure in its Economics of Nigeria’s Kidnap Industry report released on Thursday.
According to the report, 7,568 people were kidnapped in Nigeria between July 2023 and June 2024, with 1,056 people killed in 1,130 reported kidnap incidents.
“On average, someone is killed each time there is an attempted kidnap. It has also become lucrative as at least N1.048 billion was paid as ransoms in that period,” the report reveals.
It was gathered from the report that kidnappers actually demanded at least the sum of N10,995,090,000 (approximately $6,871,931) as ransom within the perios but received N1,048,110,000, representing 9.5% of ransom demanded.
“Kidnapping in Nigeria has become more lethal… 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.
“The FCT has the highest ransom demands, followed closely by Lagos and Kaduna,” the report reads, adding that more than four ransom bearers were killed, and three others abducted, while stressing that this may cause people not eager or willing to deliver ransoms on behalf of victims.
“A notable feature of this year’s kidnapping incidents is the prevalence of mass abductions – kidnap events in which at least five people are abducted – particularly in the North. From January to June, there have been 135 mass abduction incidents involving at least five victims per incident, with 3,277 people kidnapped and 125 killed.
“SBM’s analysis reveals that women are more frequently kidnapped than men. Comparing kidnapping incident trends from 2022 to 2024, the South has seen only a slight increase in absolute numbers.
“However, 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,” the report reads.