Kidnappers Collect N7.8 Billion Ransom in One Year as Mass Abductions Surge

(Kidnappers. Photo by Nation News)

K!dnappers across Nigeria collected nearly 7.8 billion naira in ransom between July 2025 and June 2026, a new report shows.

This represents 34 percent of the 22.9 billion naira that was demanded during the period.

The amount collected marks a sharp increase from just 5.35 percent in the previous year.

Although the total demanded was lower than the year before, the report notes this is because a single extraordinary 30 billion naira demand from the ab@duction of the Enuma sisters inflated the previous year’s figures.

The 2026 figures were driven less by isolated high-value ab@ductions and more by mass hostage-taking incidents involving groups with significant leverage to secure payments.

The JAS faction and its allied cells accounted for about 7 billion naira of the total ransom paid, representing roughly 90 percent of all ransom collected.

Two major mass ab@ductions made up most of this amount.

In April 2026, a faction operating under commander Ali Ngulde ab@ducted 416 people from Ngoshe in Gwoza, Borno State, and demanded 5 billion naira.

The entire amount was reportedly paid, making it the largest single ransom recorded.

Earlier in November 2025, gunmen ab@ducted 315 children and staff from a school in Niger State.

Multiple intelligence sources put the ransom paid for their release at 2 billion naira.

These two incidents alone accounted for 7 billion naira, or nearly the entire national ransom payment for the year.

This development shows a significant escalation in t£rrorist organisations becoming major players in Nigeria’s k!dnapping economy.

Unaffiliated k!dnappers accounted for 719.4 million naira, roughly 9 percent of the total.

ISWAP accounted for 53 million naira.

At state level, Kwara recorded the highest ransom demand with 7.375 billion naira, representing 32.3 percent of the national total.

Borno followed with 5.698 billion naira.

However, when actual payments were considered, Borno topped the list with 5.0545 billion naira collected, representing about 65 percent of the national total.

Niger followed with 2 billion naira.

Five states accounted for 95.8 percent of all ransom reportedly collected, showing how a few major mass ab@ductions drive the national figures.

Some states recorded minimal ransom payments.

The smallest recorded payments were 70,000 naira in Cross River, 100,000 naira in Bauchi and 500,000 naira in Ebonyi.

Such small payments could reflect token settlements or hostage releases supplemented with supplies instead of cash.