A new report has revealed that no fewer than 1,142 people were killed across 1,713 kidnap and related incidents in Nigeria between July 2025 and June 2026. During the same period, a total of N7.8 billion was paid in ransoms.

According to the findings, 7,825 people were abducted, representing a 66 per cent increase in victims compared with the previous year. The Northwest recorded the highest numbers of incidents, victims and deaths, with Zamfara alone accounting for 236 cases and 1,921 victims.

The report noted that one Boko Haram faction collected about 90 per cent of the total ransom paid, mainly from just eight incidents. Two major abductions alone accounted for N7 billion of the overall amount.

While the total ransom demanded dropped from N48 billion to N22.9 billion, the actual sum paid more than tripled from N2.56 billion to N7.78 billion. The collection rate rose sharply from about 5 per cent to 34 per cent.

The report said mass abductions remain the most common method used by the perpetrators, with school attacks also resurfacing. It recommended disrupting the financial flows that support the crime and addressing the economic conditions that fuel it, warning that without a coordinated approach, kidnapping risks becoming a major funding source for groups that threaten national stability.

Photo credit: Punch Newspaper