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Nigerian armed groups collected nearly $6 million in ransoms over past year, study finds

A new report by SBM Intelligence estimates that armed groups in Nigeria collected about $5.8 million in ransom payments between July 2025 and June 2026, more than triple the previous year. The study also documents a sharp rise in abductions and killings, with two mass kidnappings by Boko Haram accounting for nearly 90 percent of the ransom total.

By Tertius News AI Desk 2 outlets · 2 distinct · 2 articles Version 1 Coverage Aug 27, 2026 Published 8h ago

Armed groups in Nigeria collected nearly $6 million in ransom payments over the past year, according to a new study by Lagos-based consultancy SBM Intelligence. The report estimates that about 7.78 billion naira, or $5.8 million, was paid in ransom between July 2025 and June 2026 — more than three times the amount recorded the previous year.

At least 7,825 people were abducted, a 66% increase, while more than 1,100 people were killed, including nearly 900 civilians, the report found. The figures may be an underestimate, as many victims and their families are reluctant to report ransom payments, which are illegal in Nigeria.

Boko Haram kidnappings drive most payments

Two mass kidnappings attributed to Boko Haram accounted for almost 90% of the ransom total, according to the report. More than 400 people were abducted in Borno state, the epicentre of the jihadist insurgency, while around 300 pupils and staff were taken from St Mary's Catholic school in north-central Niger state. The latter kidnapping alone drove at least 2 billion naira in payments, according to an AFP report at the time citing intelligence sources, which said the government paid that amount for the release of the St Mary's victims — a claim authorities denied.

Kidnapping has become an increasingly lucrative source of income for jihadists and criminal gangs known as bandits. The northwest remains the hardest-hit region, with mass abductions becoming increasingly common. The report says 80% of victims were taken in group seizures, highlighting the growing scale of the crisis.

Security forces stretched across multiple fronts

Nigeria's security forces are already stretched by a 17-year jihadist insurgency in the northeast, widespread banditry in the northwest and central regions, and separatist tensions in the southeast. Farmers and herders clash over land in the centre of the country while a simmering separatist movement festers in the southeast.

SBM Intelligence says tackling the crisis will require cutting off the financial networks that fund armed groups while addressing the poverty and economic instability that help provide a pool of recruits. The report called for 'disrupting the financial flows that now underwrite an insurgency' and 'economic stabilisation' in the impoverished country.

Security a key issue ahead of elections

Security is expected to be a major issue in Nigeria's January elections, when President Bola Tinubu will seek a second term. The latest warning comes after another jihadist attack in Niger state last week left dozens dead and saw scores kidnapped.

How each outlet told it

Africa News as of Aug 27, 2026, 9:46 AM UTC

Framing: Headline emphasizes the financial scale (“nearly $6 million in ransoms”) and attributes it to “Nigerian armed groups”, leaving out details about victims, regions, and the study's methodology — Measured and factual, with a sense of urgency in describing the crisis; for example, “Kidnapping has become an increasingly lucrative source of income for jihadists and criminal gangs”

Facts Included:

Armed groups in Nigeria collected nearly $6 million in ransom payments over the past year
Lagos-based SBM Intelligence consultancy estimates about 7.78 billion naira, or $5.8 million, was paid in ransom between July 2025 and June 2026
More than three times the amount recorded the previous year
At least 7,825 people were abducted, a 66% increase
More than 1,100 people were killed, including nearly 900 civilians
Two mass kidnappings attributed to Boko Haram accounted for almost 90% of the ransom total
More than 400 people were abducted in Borno state
Around 300 pupils and staff were taken from a Catholic school in Niger state
The figures may be an underestimate, as many victims and their families are reluctant to report ransom payments, which are illegal in Nigeria
The northwest remains the hardest-hit region
80% of victims were taken in group seizures
Nigeria's security forces stretched by a 17-year jihadist insurgency in the northeast, widespread banditry in the northwest and central regions, and separatist tensions in the southeast
SBM Intelligence says tackling the crisis will require cutting off financial networks and addressing poverty and economic instability
Security expected to be a major issue in Nigeria's January elections
President Bola Tinubu will seek a second term
Another jihadist attack in Niger state last week left dozens dead and saw scores kidnapped

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RFI — English as of Aug 27, 2026, 8:15 AM UTC

Framing: The headline emphasizes the financial scale of ransoms (nearly $6m) from a study, but does not mention the two Boko Haram kidnappings that account for most of the total, nor the human toll of abductions and killings. — Measured and analytical, with a focus on data and expert report findings, e.g., 'Criminal groups in Nigeria raised nearly $6 million in ransom payments in the last year, a report said Wednesday.'

Facts Included:

Criminal groups in Nigeria raised nearly $6 million in ransom payments in the last year, a report said Wednesday.
Two mass kidnappings by Boko Haram responsible for nearly 90 percent of the total.
Some 7.78 billion naira in ransom was paid between July 2025 and June 2026, from Lagos-based consultancy SBM Intelligence.
More than triple the 2.56 billion naira paid during the same period last year.
At least 7,825 people were abducted, up 66 percent compared with the same period last year.
A minimum of 1,142 people were killed, including 895 civilians.
Two abductions blamed on Boko Haram drove 7 billion in payments – the kidnapping of more than 400 people from Ngoshe, in Borno state, and the abduction of some 300 pupils and staff from St Mary's Catholic school in north-central Niger state.
AFP reported at the time, citing intelligence sources, that the government paid at least 2 billion naira to Boko Haram for the release of the St Mary's victims – which authorities denied.
80 percent of victims were taken in 'group seizures'.
The report called for 'disrupting the financial flows that now underwrite an insurgency' and 'economic stabilisation' in the impoverished country.
Security and the economy are set to feature heavily in Nigeria's January elections, where President Bola Tinubu is seeking a second term.
Scores of people were kidnapped and dozens killed in a jihadist attack in Niger state last week.

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What was claimed, and who backed it

AI-extracted; can misattribute a claim — see Methodology.

Each row is one claim, attributed to the outlet whose wording states it most clearly. Confidence rates how directly the source text states the claim — explicit and unhedged rates high; hedged, pieced-together, or internally inconsistent statements rate lower. It does not measure whether the claim is true. Status counts the distinct outlets we found asserting it — so a single-source claim can still show high confidence, and a multi-source claim can show medium. Every one of those outlets is named beside the status, so you can check the count against the list. For claims extracted before we began storing that list, the row says so: it names the outlet the claim is quoted from and states that we have not recorded which outlets backed it. Outlets wrote at different times, so a figure that evolves — a casualty count, for example — can legitimately differ between rows; check the "as of" time next to each claim's source.

Claim	Confidence	Status
ClaimCriminal groups in Nigeria raised nearly $6 million in ransom payments in the last year, according to a report by Lagos-based consultancy SBM Intelligence.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusMulti-source (2 outlets) via RFI — English as of Aug 27, 2026, 8:15 AM UTC, Africa News as of Aug 27, 2026, 9:46 AM UTC
ClaimTwo mass kidnappings by Boko Haram were responsible for nearly 90 percent of the ransom payments collected in Nigeria.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusMulti-source (2 outlets) via RFI — English as of Aug 27, 2026, 8:15 AM UTC, Africa News as of Aug 27, 2026, 9:46 AM UTC

Transparency & Audit Trail

2 outlets · 2 articles consulted: Africa News, RFI — English 2 claims extracted Version 1 Written 2026-08-27