Kidnapping is a growing scourge in parts of Nigeria. It has become a business for kidnappers and a means of pressure to demand very high ransoms before the kidnapped are released. This practice has a negative impact on the economy of families, businesses and communities, especially in the most affected regions. In an attempt to quantify the damage caused by this phenomenon, the analysis firm SBM Intelligence attempted to quantify the number of abductions in a recent report.
In Nigeria, the causes of insecurity and the nature of conflict vary from region to region. One of these causes is kidnapping, which has become a recurrent practice and claims many victims. Throughout Nigeria, the use of kidnapping has become a common denominator and an obvious source of insecurity. According to a report by SBM Intelligence, between July 2021 and June 2022, nearly 3,500 people were kidnapped across the country.
Huge amounts of money and other items, held for ransom by the kidnappers.
After committing their act of kidnapping, the kidnappers demand large sums of money from their victims. According to data collected by SBM Intelligence, ransom demands have risen to more than €9.6 million over the period July 2021 to June 2022, and it is confirmed that at least €1 million has been paid to the kidnappers. Apart from this data, a huge amount of money was exchanged for the release of the passengers of the Kaduna-Abuja train, attacked on Monday 28 March 2022. About 72 people were kidnapped on this trip. But almost half of those kidnapped were released, for amounts of at least €200,000 per person, according to the report.
However, due to the general impoverishment of the Nigerian population, kidnappers sometimes demand food, mobile phones, weapons or other payment from their victims in goods. These kidnapping activities act as a barrier to trade and prevent investment in the most affected areas.
The Catholic priests are also targeted by kidnapping activities.
Apart from the citizens, the Catholic priests are also victims of this rampant insecurity. The aim of the kidnappers is to obtain a lot of money from the church’s faithful. The SBM Intelligence report also points out that this new trend is emerging, probably with the hope that the Catholic Church will have the “financial capacity” to pay for their release.
Charbel Ahouandjinou (stag).
