Nigeria recorded 2.2 million kidnappings and ₦2.2 trillion in ransom payments in one year
By Victor Idajili
Nigeria is facing a severe security crisis, with around 2.2 million kidnapping cases reported in a single year and an estimated ₦2.2 trillion paid in ransom, according to security expert Prof. Oyesoji Aremu.
Aremu shared the figures during a public lecture at Adekunle Ajasin University, Ondo State, hosted by the Social Sciences Students’ Association. He said the numbers, which he attributed to the National Bureau of Statistics, point to the rise of a structured “ransom economy” run by bandits, kidnapping gangs, and insurgent groups across the country.
The lecture looked at Nigeria’s ranking on global security indexes and the growing human and economic toll of insecurity.
Representing the university’s Vice-Chancellor, Deputy Vice-Chancellor Prof. Adebisi Daramola called the lecture timely given Nigeria’s current security situation. The Dean of Social Sciences, Prof. Adesuyi Adebukola, said tackling insecurity will require ongoing collaboration among stakeholders, noting that it remains one of the biggest obstacles to national development.
