The SBM Intelligence recent report has shown that over the last five years, Nigeria has experienced approximately 735 large-scale abductions, resulting in 15,398 individuals being taken.
A report called ‘Mass Abductions, The Catastrophe Of Nigeria’s Kidnap Epidemic,’ highlighted that mass abduction refers to the kidnapping of a minimum of five people in one event. Between January and March 2024, Nigeria experienced a total of 68 incidents involving this type of abduction.
SBM Intelligence is a firm that specializes in gathering market and security intelligence in Africa and provides strategic consulting services.
According to the report, a decade after the kidnapping of the Chibok schoolgirls, Nigeria is facing a widespread kidnapping crisis that now includes villages, students of all levels, and commuters on highways.
The strategy of using school abductions for terrorism by Boko Haram has inspired other criminal organizations, leading to an expansion of this tactic to target non-school locations and for economic reasons.
From 2019 onwards, Nigeria has experienced a minimum of 735 instances of mass abductions, which involve kidnapping five or more individuals, totaling more than 15,398 victims. Just in 2024, there have been at least 68 mass abductions, with an average of over one per day and a victim count surpassing the combined totals of 2019 and 2020.
According to the report, Kaduna had the most individuals abducted, totaling 3,969 victims, followed closely by Zamfara, with 111 mass abductions resulting in the kidnapping of 3,345 people.
The report indicates that Kaduna and Zamfara have similarities with Katsina in terms of high incident numbers and casualties, primarily due to two main factors.
“The insecurity in the three states is primarily caused by the emergence of bandit warlords. Additionally, their close proximity and shared borders, such as the Rugu, Sububu, and Munhaye forests, facilitate collaboration between different bandit groups and make it easier for victims to be transported across state lines.
‘Niger stands out as having a major issue with banditry, particularly in the Northwest region, with 2,138 individuals being victims of 84 incidents. This means an average of 25.4 people were abducted in each incident between 2019 and 2024.
“The reasons behind kidnappings differ from one region to another. While some groups like ISWAP are now focusing on controlling territories and collecting taxes, others like the faction led by Abubakar Shekau continue to rely on mass abductions to survive. In the Northwest, bandit gangs are mostly responsible for kidnapping villagers to extract unpaid levies and force them to work on bandit-run farms.”
