The Guardian Editorial
The recent revelation that no fewer than 762 Nigerians were killed by kidnappers in 4,722 abductions within the last one year is distressing, making Nigerians more apprehensive about their safety in their own country. Indeed, the insecurity in Nigeria has assumed a war situation and there is yet no indication that the government is winning.
The revelation was made by SB Morgen, a geopolitical research firm.
More disturbing is the fact that those being killed are innocent people who fall victim to the evil machinations of the heartless criminals.
Most of the reported victims were sent to early graves because they could not pay the ransom demanded by their abductors. Others either died or were killed while in captivity or trying to evade abduction.
Many victims were wasted even after their families and friends had paid the ransom demanded. Curiously, this is happening freely in a country with a large security apparatus, including the military and police.
Kidnapping is just one of the many security challenges tormenting Nigeria. Others, including terrorism, have claimed the lives of thousands of innocent citizens and displaced millions of citizens from their ancestral homes.
The situation signposts how fast Nigeria is losing its security and future to these criminals. There is a crucial and urgent need for the government to sincerely and practically tackle the menace of kidnapping that has reduced the image of the country to a theatre of bloodshed.
In the report titled ‘Economics of Nigeria’s Kidnapping Industry’, SB Morgen also revealed that during the period covered by the research (June 2024 to June 2025), kidnappers demanded over N48 billion from victims and their families, but were paid N2.57 billion.
Northwest is said to be the most violent regarding the activities of the kidnappers, while the South South and South East faced what the report described as ‘targeted religious abduction and financial extortion’.
The research finding indicated that kidnapping has become a highly organised and pervasive criminal industry in Nigeria, with the amount of money paid in ransom dramatically increasing over the years. SB Morgen revealed that in a 2022 report, a total of N653.7 million was paid. Though the amount dropped to N302 million in 2023, it rose sharply to N1.05 billion in 2024, and the latest figures show a new high of N2.5 billion.
Analysis of the situation in the top five states where kidnapping is more endemic indicates that of the 4,722 reported cases during the period under review, Zamfara, Kaduna and Katsina had the highest numbers of incidents and victims. Katsina led with 131 kidnap-related incidents.
In terms of the number of people kidnapped, Zamfara had the highest with 1,203, accounting for 25.4 per cent of the national total. Kaduna had 123 while Niger recorded 40. The fifth and the only state in the South was Delta with 49 cases of kidnapping.
Besides, it was in Delta that the highest amount (N30 billion of the N48 billion) of ransom was demanded to release Chidimma, Precious Enuma and their aunt, Anwuri Okoye, in Okwuani Local Government Area. Obviously, four of the five most embattled states are in the north.
The right to life is enshrined in Section 33 of the Constitution of Nigeria. The killings and abductions are a tragic violation of the right to life of the victims. In Section 41(1), the same constitution states that every Nigerian citizen is entitled to move freely throughout the country, reside anywhere within the country and cannot be expelled from Nigeria or denied entry or exit.
Kidnapping of Nigerians, while travelling for one reason or the other in the country, is a gross violation of their freedom of movement. The forceful dispossession of Nigerians of their hard-earned resources by way of ransom payment is sheer criminality.
It is the responsibility of the government to protect Nigerians against the heinous activities of these criminal elements. Section 14 (2) of the Constitution states that the security and welfare of the citizens shall be the primary purpose of government. It is the most crucial of all the responsibilities assigned to government, and nothing else should take precedence over it because it takes human beings for a country to exist. It is only in a failed state that this should be an impossible task to be carried out.
Nigerians cannot continue to watch as they are killed unjustly and as if there is no government in Nigeria. What SB Morgen reported covered just a year of the callousness of some wicked Nigerians to their fellow citizens.
It is a tragedy to lose 762 innocent lives to the avariciousness of some outlaws in a year.
The federal government should liaise with governors of the states where kidnapping is rife to reach a consensus on how to neutralise the terrorists, as done by some countries, most notably China, to save themselves from banditry and similar criminal activities. It has become a situation of war in Nigeria, which calls for kidnappers to be completely crushed.
Expecting that kidnapping will fizzle out by itself is to be unserious about ending it. It is clear from the report that as the cost-of-living soars and opportunities for legitimate means of livelihood dwindle, the kidnappers are demanding higher ransom. What that indicates is that kidnapping has transformed from a symptom of a weak security apparatus to a business model that the criminals find highly profitable. Therefore, in the absence of effective machinery to arrest and sanction the kidnappers, they are emboldened to heighten their operation, with more people falling victim and being killed.
There should be no ethno-religious or political sentiments about the terrible crime because it will become more costly for the nation.
The northern governors are advised to take the issue of education seriously to prevent more Almajiris from being recruited for kidnapping or terrorism.
As a strategy, experts have advised the government to effectively disrupt kidnappers’ financial networks through advanced tracing technologies. It will help in starving the hoodlums of the profits they make or hope to make from ransom payments.
The federal government should do more about the porous borders in the North through which many of these criminal elements seemingly enter the country. Suspected kidnappers in government custody should be tried and punished if convicted to serve as a deterrent to others. Nigeria must be reclaimed from the firm grip of kidnappers.
Above all, the government must move with sincerity, strong commitment and well-coordinated strategies to tackle the real socio-economic drivers of kidnapping. There is a need to stabilise the economy as a strategy to ensure the security of life and property.
Specifically, the government must address the rising cost of living and provide employment opportunities. Kidnapping is already a big business in Nigeria, but this can be reversed. States should speedily be empowered to establish their police, while forest guards should go beyond existing in theory.
Enough of the shame kidnapping has brought upon the country. The perpetrators should be wiped out.
