At least 7,568 people were abducted by Terrorists in the last year and N1 billion was paid as ransom during the period, according to a report by SMB Intelligence, a market intelligence, security analysis and strategic consulting firm.
The report said the victims were kidnapped in 1,130 incidents between July 2023 and June 2024.
Parallelfacts earlier reported that during the period under review, the firm said N10 billion (N10,995,090,000) was demanded as ransom, but the terrorists only “received N1,048,110,000 (N1 billion)…”
“Nigeria’s security crisis has become increasingly complex, with armed groups and non-state actors exploiting the state’s weakened influence,” SMB Intelligence stated. “This includes Boko Haram’s resurgence in the North-east, armed gangs in the North-central and North-west, secessionist violence in the South-east, and gang-related issues in the South-west. Amid these diverse security threats, widespread kidnap for ransom has emerged as a common thread.”
READ MORE: Nigerians Paid ₦1bn Out of ₦10bn in Ransoms to Kidnappers in One Year – Report
Kidnapping has become more lethal, the firm noted, adding that 1,056 people were killed in 1,130 reported kidnap incidents, with an average of one person being killed each time there is an attempted kidnap.
However, the report stated that women were more targeted than men in all the abductions that were recorded. It further blamed the abductions spree on the country’s economic challenges.
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