Zamfara State recorded the highest incident with 132 cases and 1,639 victims.
Bella Ifasola
No fewer than 7,568 people were abducted across Nigeria between July 2023 and July 2024, according to a report released by the SBM Intelligence
The report noted that the security crisis has become increasingly complex, with armed groups and non-state actors exploiting the state’s weakened influence.
“Amid these diverse security threats, widespread kidnap for ransom has emerged as a common thread. Between July 2023 and June 2024, our research found that no fewer than 7,568 people were abducted in 1,130 incidents across the country,” said the report.
It noted that the security crisis has become increasingly complex, with armed groups and non-state actors exploiting the state’s weakened influence.
According to the report, some of the issues include Boko Haram’s resurgence in the Northeast, armed gangs in the Northcentral and Northwest, secessionist violence in the Southeast, and gang-related issues in the Southwest.
“Amid these diverse security threats, widespread kidnap for ransom has emerged as a common thread. Between July 2023 and June 2024, our research found that no fewer than 7,568 people were abducted in 1,130 incidents across the country,” the report added.
“In that same period, kidnappers demanded at least the sum of N10,995,090,000 (approximately $6,871,931) as ransom but received N1,048,110,000, 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.”
The report also noted that Zamfara recorded the highest incident with 132 cases and 1,639 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,” it says.
“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. On average, someone is killed each time there is an attempted kidnap.”
Gombe also recorded the lowest incidents with one case, Jigawa two cases, Bayelsa 3 cases, Kano recorded 4 cases, while Osun state had six cases.
It was also noted that the highest ransom demands were recorded in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
“The FCT has the highest ransom demands, followed closely by Lagos and Kaduna. When comparing geopolitical zones, the Southeast has the highest ransom paid and collection rate overall.
“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,” it says.
It was stated that kidnappers were killing ransom bearers while others were being abducted.
“One thing that may cause problems in future is that kidnappers are increasingly breaking trust. 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,” it says.
According to the report, there have been 135 mass abduction incidents involving at least five victims per incident with 3,277 people kidnapped and 125 killed
Insecurity and violence in Nigeria
For more than a decade, civilians in Nigeria have faced multiple security threats and risk of atrocities as result of attacks, kidnappings and extortion by various non-state armed groups.
Since the start of 2024 civilians have faced intensified violence across Nigeria, and near-daily attacks by armed groups resulting in kidnappings and other abuses against civilians.
Armed groups and gangs, including so-called “bandits,” have – for many years – perpetrated widespread atrocities, including murder, rape, kidnapping, organized cattle-rustling and plunder. Armed herdsmen are also destroying vast swaths of farmland, prompting many farmers to abandon their land out of fear of attack.
Despite government efforts, insecurity persists in Nigeria, exacerbated by economic challenges such as food scarcity and soaring living costs.
The recent revelation that President Bola Tinubu’s administration spent N3.2 trillion on security in one year, yet failed to curb insecurity, has sparked widespread dismay among Nigerians.
The ongoing crisis has raised concerns about the effectiveness of the government’s security strategies, leaving citizens frustrated and seeking lasting solutions.