Nigeria records 2.2m kidnappings, ₦2.2tn ransom payments in one year— Report

Nigeria is grappling with alarming levels of insecurity, with about 2.2 million kidnapping incidents recorded in a single year and ransom payments estimated at ₦2.2 trillion, a security expert, Prof. Oyesoji Aremu, has said.
Aremu disclosed this while delivering a public lecture organised by the Social Sciences Students’ Association (SOSSA) of Adekunle Ajasin University, Ondo State, where he examined Nigeria’s position on global security indexes and the escalating human and economic cost of insecurity.

Aremu, a security scholar at the University of Ibadan, is the Acting Vice Chancellor of Achievers University, Owo, Ondo State.

Citing data attributed to the National Bureau of Statistics and reported in December 2024, he said the figures reflect the emergence of a well-organised “ransom economy” driven by banditry, kidnapping syndicates and insurgent networks across the country.
He warned that the scale of kidnappings and ransom payments has turned insecurity into a structured criminal enterprise, with devastating consequences for families, communities and the national economy.

Aremu also referenced Nigeria’s poor performance on global security benchmarks, noting that the country currently ranks 142 out of 143 on the World Justice Project Rule of Law Index, 148 out of 163 on the Global Peace Index, and 5th globally on the Global Terrorism Index.

According to him, these indicators confirm a sustained deterioration in safety and governance, with severe implications for development and investor confidence.

Tracing the roots of Nigeria’s security crisis, the lecturer cited historical flashpoints such as the Civil War, Maitatsine riots, Niger Delta militancy and the rise of Boko Haram, which he said escalated after early warning signs were neglected.

He explained that the fragmentation of extremist groups, including ISWAP and other splinter cells, alongside the expansion of banditry and illegal mining operations, has further complicated national security responses.

Aremu expressed concern over the use of vast ungoverned forests such as Sambisa, Alagarno, Kamuku, Kuyambana, Kuduru and Old Oyo National Park as safe havens for criminal groups, describing them as evidence of weak state presence in remote areas.

He stressed that repeated attacks on schools, including Chibok, Dapchi, Kagara, Greenfield and recent incidents in parts of Oyo State, underscore persistent failures in intelligence coordination and preventive security measures.

The scholar warned that Nigeria’s response to insecurity has been weakened by institutional rivalry and lack of collaboration, describing the situation as a “blame game” that undermines effective action.

To address the crisis, he recommended state policing, stronger community intelligence systems, enhanced inter-agency cooperation, coordinated surveillance among neighbouring states, and the deployment of forest guards to secure ungoverned spaces.
In his remarks, the Vice-Chancellor of the university, of Olugbenga Ige, who was represented by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic), Prof. Adebisi Daramola , described the lecture as timely and relevant to Nigeria’s current security realities.

Also speaking, the Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, Prof. Adesuyi Adebukola, called for sustained collaboration among stakeholders, stressing that insecurity remains a major obstacle to national development.(Guardian)