Nigeria: Nigerians Paid N7.8bn Ransom in 2025 - Report

What the report says

A new report cited by Leadership and attributed to SBM Intelligence says kidnappers in Nigeria received about N7.78 billion in ransom over a one-year period, highlighting how hostage-taking continues to fuel insecurity. The article says the findings relate to 2025 and were published in Abuja, with the report examining incidents across the country and the groups believed to be responsible.

According to the report, most of the money was linked to the Jama'atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda'awati Wal-Jihad (JAS) faction of Boko Haram and allied cells, which allegedly collected about N7.0 billion from only a small number of cases. The report also says the broader ransom economy is increasingly concentrated in large mass-abduction incidents, rather than smaller criminal kidnappings.

Two cases were singled out as driving much of the total: the abduction of 416 people in Ngoshe, Borno State, and the kidnapping of 315 pupils and staff from St Mary’s School in Papiri, Niger State. The report says the first case involved a N5 billion demand and the second a reported N2 billion payment. It adds that ransom demanded nationwide fell while the amount actually paid rose, suggesting kidnappers were collecting a larger share of what they asked for.

SBM Intelligence said the pattern shows kidnapping is not only a criminal justice issue but also a financing channel for armed groups. The report urged action aimed at disrupting ransom flows and addressing the conditions that allow kidnapping to persist.