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Report Says Nigerians Paid N7bn Ransom to Kidnappers in Nine Years
Between the year 2011 and 2020, Nigerians paid at least $18.34 million (N7 billion) as ransom to kidnappers, a report on the country’s kidnap industry shows.
The report from SB Morgen (SBM) Intelligence published early this month captures the kidnap cases that occurred from June 2011 to the end of March 2020 using data collected from the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project, the Council for Foreign Relations’ Nigeria Security Tracker, newspaper reports and SBM Intel’s own countrywide network of researchers.
It also contains the breakdown of name of victims, date, state and amount paid respectively. According to SBM, four of the top 10 states with a high number of kidnap incidents over the last decade are in the South-South geopolitical zone, with three of them being Bayelsa – 85, Delta -96 and Rivers – 120. Others states with high kidnap incidents include Kaduna – 177, Borno – 82, Kogi – 59, Edo – 55, Ondo – 54, Katsina – 52 and Taraba – 47.
“It would appear that in the south, while kidnapping may be frequent, the selection of victims is more targeted and the kidnappers see it more as a business transaction, trying hard to extract money from their criminal activities”, part of the report reads. It also notes that “victims that are unable to pay up as quickly as expected are more likely to be killed by the kidnappers”.
Maintaining that specific victims, who have political exposition were the major targets up until 2018, the report noted thus:
“The sudden uptick in fatalities per attempt coincides with the increase in attacks by bandits on villages especially in Zamfara and Katsina states, a situation which has gradually extended to Kaduna and Niger states. These bandits have also been involved in kidnapping besides attacking villagers and travellers, or doing both at the same time. As these kidnaps are less targeted at specific persons, the bandits are less deliberate in avoiding the deaths of their victims compared to earlier kidnap attempts which appeared to have specific targets in mind.
“This points to the democratisation of insecurity in the North, specifically with respect to kidnapping, which is a huge reversal from a decade and a half ago where kidnapping attempts were mostly in the Niger Delta, before slowly spreading to the South-East and across the country.
“Overall, Nigeria is becoming less safe each year. Kidnapping has increased in almost all states, but the sharpest rise have been in Kaduna, Rivers, Katsina, Zamfara and Taraba, while only Bayelsa in the entire country, saw a fall in the number of incidents compared to the period of 2011 to 2015.
“Kidnapping has become “safer” for the victims in Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Borno, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Ekiti, Kano, Kwara, Lagos, Nasarawa, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Plateau, Rivers, Taraba and Yobe as these states saw fewer deaths per kidnap attempt. For all the other states, the prospect of being attached has become a more dangerous proposition”, it says.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has called for an independent, transparent, and comprehensive investigation into the academic and professional credentials of all members of the Federal Executive Council (FEC), beginning with President Bola Tinubu himself.
Atiku’s call comes in the wake of the recent resignation of the former Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, over an alleged certificate scandal.
Following the controversy surrounding the authenticity of his academic qualifications, Nnaji tendered his resignation on Tuesday. He, however, maintains that his resignation is not an admission of guilt.
Reacting to the development in a post on his X handle on Wednesday, Atiku said the resignation of the former minister has “once again brought to light the deep moral crisis at the heart of the Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration.”
The former Vice President also questioned Tinubu’s own credentials, alleging that they have been the subject of controversy for decades. He, therefore, called for a thorough investigation into the credentials of all FEC members, starting with the President.
“This episode is not isolated. It is a reflection of a pattern — a rot that begins from the very top. The man who occupies the office of President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has for decades been enmeshed in controversies surrounding his identity, age, and academic records.
“From the Chicago State University saga to multiple contradictory claims under oath, the world has seen ample evidence that Nigeria today is led by a man who himself has been unable to credibly defend the authenticity of his own certificates.
“When a man of questionable identity leads a country, deception becomes the standard of governance. Tinubu’s personal history of alleged forgery and perjury has effectively institutionalized falsehood in public service.
“It is, therefore, unsurprising that his ministers and aides have taken after his example — falsifying documents, inflating records, and desecrating the moral foundation of our nation.
“I, therefore, call for an independent, transparent, and comprehensive investigation into the academic and professional credentials of all members of the Federal Executive Council, beginning with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu himself. Nigerians deserve to know the truth about those who preside over their lives and resources.
“Tuesday’s resignation of Uche Nnaji, Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, has once again brought to light the deep moral crisis at the heart of the Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration.
“What should ordinarily be a matter of national shame is now being disguised as a ‘voluntary resignation’ — an attempt to whitewash yet another scandal that typifies the forgery-ridden character of this government,” Atiku said.
He condemned President Tinubu’s decision to allow Nnaji an honourable resignation rather than a dismissal.
“Let the truth be told: Uche Nnaji should not have been allowed the courtesy of resignation. He should have been summarily dismissed and prosecuted for deceit and falsification.
“By permitting him to quietly exit through the back door, the Tinubu administration has once again demonstrated that it is an assembly of forgers, impostors, and morally bankrupt individuals masquerading as public servants.”
Atiku also berated the Department of State Services (DSS), questioning how Nnaji’s alleged certificate scandal escaped detection during the screening process prior to his appointment.
“What makes this even more embarrassing is that the same Department of State Services (DSS), which screened out Mallam Nasir El-Rufai for alleged ‘security concerns’, is the very agency that cleared this same character, Uche Nnaji.
“The DSS truly deserves our flowers for this national disgrace. Their failure of due diligence has made Nigeria an object of ridicule before the world and raises the question: how many more such individuals are occupying sensitive positions in this government?”
President Bola Tinubu, on Tuesday, accepted Professor Mahmood Yakubu’s departure as chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) following the expiration of his second term in office.
Yakubu was first appointed in November 2015 as the 14th chairman of the commission for an initial term of five years.
The appointment, which was renewed in 2020, has now expired due to the passage of time.
President Tinubu thanked Professor Yakubu for his services to the nation and his efforts to sustain Nigeria’s democracy, particularly through the organisation of free and fair elections throughout his two-term tenure.
In recognition of Yakubu’s dedicated service to the nation, President Tinubu has bestowed on him the honour of Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON).
President Tinubu also directed that Professor Yakubu should hand over to the most senior national commissioner, May Agbamuche-Mbu, who will direct the affairs of the Commission until the completion of the process to appoint a successor.
In the letter dated October 3, 2025, Professor Yakubu thanked the President for the opportunity to serve the nation as chairman of the commission since 2015.
The Minister of Innovation, Science, and Technology, Geoffrey Uche Nnaji, has resigned his position following allegations of certificate forgery levelled against him.
President Bola Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, confirmed the resignation in a statement on Tuesday, saying the President has accepted the Minister’s decision to step down.
He added that “President Tinubu appointed Nnaji in August 2023. He resigned today in a letter thanking the President for allowing him to serve Nigeria.”
Onanuga further quoted the former Minister as saying he had “been a target of blackmail by political opponents.”
“President Tinubu thanked him for his service and wished him well in future endeavours,” the statement added.
