Tag: KIDNAPPINGS

‘Nigeria records 2.2m kidnappings, ₦2.2tr ransom payments in 1yr’ – Report

Aminu Imam
Report on 9ja kidnappings

…As ₦65.9tr debt surge raise fresh concerns Nigeria is facing mounting concerns over worsening insecurity and rising public debt, with fresh figures suggesting a deepening strain on both the nation’s economy and social stability. A security expert, Prof. Aremu Oyesoji revealed that the country recorded about 2.2 million kidnapping incidents within a year, with ransom payments estimated at ₦2.2 trillion, describing the development as evidence of an expanding “ransom economy” fuelled by banditry, kidnapping syndicates and insurgent networks. Speaking during a public lecture organised by the Social Sciences Students’ Association…

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Wave of kidnappings displaces 30 traditional rulers in Kwara

Aminu Imam
Kwara kidnapping

No fewer than 30 traditional rulers across Kwara-South have reportedly abandoned their palaces following sustained attacks by armed groups, as angry residents took to the streets yesterday to protest what they described as the “total collapse” of security in the region. The development comes amid fresh alarm from the Kwara-South Development Forum, whose members stormed major streets in the senatorial district, accusing armed groups – described by residents as terrorists – of overrunning indigenous Yoruba communities, killing residents, abducting victims, and displacing entire villages. The protesters also called on President…

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‘4,654 killed, 3,141 kidnapped in Nigeria in one year’ – Report

Aminu Imam
Report on insecurity

…Warns insecurity may worsen ahead of 2027 elections Violent conflicts across Nigeria claimed 4,654 lives in 2025, while 3,141 persons were kidnapped in 1,274 incidents nationwide, according to the Nigeria Violent Conflicts Database (NVCD) 2025 released by Nextier Advisory Ltd., which warned that insecurity may worsen without urgent reforms in intelligence, governance, and conflict prevention. The findings were unveiled in Abuja during the launch of the 2026 Nigeria Security and Conflict Outlook, themed: ‘When Capability Meets Resolve’, alongside a new predictive security platform designed to strengthen data-driven conflict response and…

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Raids, Rustlings & Kidnappings: Insecurity spreads across Nigeria’s heartlands

Aminu Imam
9ja escalating insecurity

A fresh wave of violence across Nigeria has left farming and rural communities reeling, as banditry, kidnappings, cattle-rustling and insurgent attacks spread from the North-West to the South-South and parts of the South-East regions. Incidents reported this month in Sokoto, Kaduna, Delta, Edo, Benue, Enugu, Yobe, Nasarawa, Adamawa and Borno states underline the country’s persistent insecurity, particularly in remote settlements where poor communication and weak state presence enable attackers to strike with ease. In Sokoto’s Sabon-Birni LGA, at least seven villagers were killed, several injured and three abducted when armed…

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Kidnappings: Northern youths urge criminalisation of ransom payments

Aminu Imam
Northern youths on kidnappings

The Northern Youth Council of Nigeria, (NYCN), has urged security authorities to urgently criminalise and enforce laws against ransom payments to end kidnappings in Nigeria. This was contained in an open letter yesterday in Kaduna by the NYCN national president, Isah Abubakar, addressed to the National Security Adviser (NSA) and other top security officials. The letter, dated January 3, 2026, was also copied to the minister of defence, Chief of Defence Staff, service chiefs, and the Inspector-General of Police, (IGP). Abubakar said he wrote on behalf of the NYCN and…

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Insecurity: Senate proposes death penalty for kidnappers

Aminu Imam
Senate orders NNPCL

The 10th Senate has passed a resolution classifying kidnapping as a form of terrorism. The lawmakers are calling for changes to the Terrorism Act so that kidnappers face the strictest punishments. During yesterday’s plenary session, senators agreed that anyone convicted of kidnapping should automatically receive the death penalty once the law is updated. This decision comes amid growing concerns over the rising number of abductions in the country and the urgent need to deter criminals. “The resolution requires that, upon conviction for kidnapping, the death penalty must be enforced”, the…

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Killings, Kidnappings: “Resign if you can’t secure Nigerians” – Primate Ayodele tells Tinubu

Aminu Imam
Primate Ayodele

Leader of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Primate Elijah Ayodele, has blasted President Bola Tinubu over the recent upsurge in killings and kidnappings in Nigeria. In an issued statement signed by his media aide, Osho Oluwatosin, Primate Ayodele described the situation as a shame, especially for the fact that some officials of the government went to the United States for a meeting regarding insecurity and the threats issued by Donald Trump. The cleric stated that the President’s responsibility is to ensure every Nigerian is secured, and that if the President can’t…

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‘Kidnappers made ₦2.56bn from 4,722 abductees in one year’ – Report 

Aminu Imam
Kidnappers report

Over the past year, kidnapping in Nigeria has become a full-blown national crisis, cutting across regions, states, and social classes, according to a published report.  Once sporadic and localized, abductions have evolved into a coordinated criminal economy that thrives on ransom payments and exploits weak state capacity. The scale of the problem is staggering: 4,722 people were abducted in 997 incidents, with 563 civilian deaths, 180 kidnappers killed, and 100 security personnel lost in the process. Far from isolated rural violence, this crisis has morphed into an entrenched national emergency.…

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Kidnapping, Banditry resurgence: Afenifere raises National Security alarm

Aminu Imam
Afenifere on insecurity

The pan-Yoruba socio-cultural and socio-political organisation, Afenifere, has raised an alarm over the resurgence of kidnapping, banditry, attacks on security officers and continuous herders and farmers clashes. The organisation, in a press statement issued yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Jare Ajayi, recalled that reports of kidnapping for ransom, killings, attacks on security officers as well as clashes between herders and farmers became more rampant in the last few days. According to Afenifere, Theres no doubt that the Government appreciates the need to prevent terrorism, as exemplified by the…

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‘Nigerias kidnapping racket, a symptom of a failing State’ Financial Times of LondonEditorial

Aminu Imam

The Financial Times of London, an international business newspaper, has stated that Nigerias kidnapping racket is a symptom of a failing State. In a scathing newspaper editorial column it posted during the week, the international business newspaper, hinted conspicuously that the Government has lost control of the country. Giving perceived solution to Nigerias problem, The Financial Times said: “Ever since Nigeria moved its capital to Abuja three decades ago, Africas most populous nation has been run from Aso Rock, a 400-metre granite monolith that doubles as the seat of government. The fact that the…

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