August 28, 2026
Kidnappers across Nigeria collected N7.779 billion in ransom between July 2025 and June 2026, representing 34 per cent of the N22.856 billion demanded during the period, a report by SBM Intelligence has revealed.
The figure marks a sharp increase from the 5.35 per cent collection rate recorded in the previous reporting cycle, making the rise in ransom payments one of the most significant findings in SBM’s 2026 Economics of Nigeria’s Kidnap Industry report.
Although the N22.856 billion demanded was significantly lower than the N48 billion demanded in the previous cycle, SBM attributed the decline largely to an extraordinary N30 billion demand made in the abduction of the Enuma sisters in Delta State, which inflated the previous year’s figure.
The report said the 2026 figures were driven less by isolated high-value abductions and more by mass hostage-taking incidents involving groups with significant leverage and the capacity to secure ransom payments.
