A SBM Intelligence report found that 7,825 people were kidnapped in Nigeria in the 12 months to June — a 66% rise on the previous year. The consultancy estimates nearly $5.8 million was paid in ransoms, cautioning that the true total is likely higher because many payments go unreported.
Thursday, August 27, 2026
Video - Kidnappings surge in Nigeria as ransom payments climb
A SBM Intelligence report found that 7,825 people were kidnapped in Nigeria in the 12 months to June — a 66% rise on the previous year. The consultancy estimates nearly $5.8 million was paid in ransoms, cautioning that the true total is likely higher because many payments go unreported.
Video - Nigerian armed groups raise nearly $6 Million in ransoms, study finds
Armed groups in Nigeria collected nearly $6 million in ransom payments over the past year, as kidnappings surged across Africa’s most populous country, according to a new study.
The Lagos-based SBM Intelligence consultancy estimates that about 7.78 billion naira, or $5.8 million, was paid in ransom between July 2025 and June 2026 — more than three times the amount recorded the previous year.
At least 7,825 people were abducted, a 66% increase, while more than 1,100 people were killed, including nearly 900 civilians. Two mass kidnappings attributed to Boko Haram accounted for almost 90% of the ransom total, according to the report.
More than 400 people were abducted in Borno state, while around 300 pupils and staff were taken from a Catholic school in Niger state. The figures may be an underestimate, as many victims and their families are reluctant to report ransom payments, which are illegal in Nigeria.
Kidnapping has become an increasingly lucrative source of income for jihadists and criminal gangs known as bandits. The northwest remains the hardest-hit region, with mass abductions becoming increasingly common.
The report says 80% of victims were taken in group seizures, highlighting the growing scale of the crisis. Nigeria's security forces are already stretched by a 17-year jihadist insurgency in the northeast, widespread banditry in the northwest and central regions, and separatist tensions in the southeast.
SBM Intelligence says tackling the crisis will require cutting off the financial networks that fund armed groups while addressing the poverty and economic instability that help provide a pool of recruits.
Security is expected to be a major issue in Nigeria's January elections, when President Bola Tinubu will seek a second term. The latest warning comes after another jihadist attack in Niger state last week left dozens dead and saw scores of people kidnapped.
Related story: Video - A mass kidnapping is testing Nigeria's government
Video - A mass kidnapping is testing Nigeria's government
An armed group has posted a video appearing to show hundreds of people kidnapped from a mosque in Nigeria's Niger State. Sub-Saharan Africa Lead Writer David Lewis explains why the attack is piling pressure on the government of the country.
Wednesday, August 26, 2026
Israel donates first batch of ambulances, medical equipment to Nigeria
The Israeli government has donated the first batch of ambulances, medical equipment, and wheelchairs to Nigeria at the Port of Ashdod.
A statement issued Tuesday by Nigerian Ambassador to Israel, Nkechi Ufochukwu, read that the donation was made by Israel’s national emergency medical service, Magen David Adom, on behalf of the Israeli Government and received by Nigeria’s Ambassador.
Speaking during the handover, Ambassador Ufochukwu expressed Nigeria’s gratitude for the timely intervention, stressing that the equipment will significantly strengthen the country’s healthcare delivery system and improve emergency response capacity, especially in underserved communities.
The consignment includes fully equipped ambulances, modern medical devices, and mobility aids such as wheelchairs, which are expected to be deployed to hospitals and emergency centers across Nigeria to support patient care and disaster response efforts.
The gesture, according to the ambassador, underscores the growing partnership between Nigeria and Israel in health, humanitarian aid, and technology transfer.
“The ambulances, for instance, represent more than vehicles or medical equipment; they represent time saved in critical moments of medical emergency. These gifts will support families and save lives. As they begin their journey from Israel to Nigeria, they carry with them a shared commitment to save lives irrespective of race or religion.
“It also reflects Israel’s commitment to supporting Nigeria’s efforts to achieve universal health coverage and build a more resilient health system.
“We deeply appreciate Israel’s commitment to saving lives and deepening bilateral ties. This donation is a clear demonstration of friendship and solidarity between our two nations”, Ufochukwu stated.
A statement issued Tuesday by Nigerian Ambassador to Israel, Nkechi Ufochukwu, read that the donation was made by Israel’s national emergency medical service, Magen David Adom, on behalf of the Israeli Government and received by Nigeria’s Ambassador.
Speaking during the handover, Ambassador Ufochukwu expressed Nigeria’s gratitude for the timely intervention, stressing that the equipment will significantly strengthen the country’s healthcare delivery system and improve emergency response capacity, especially in underserved communities.
The consignment includes fully equipped ambulances, modern medical devices, and mobility aids such as wheelchairs, which are expected to be deployed to hospitals and emergency centers across Nigeria to support patient care and disaster response efforts.
The gesture, according to the ambassador, underscores the growing partnership between Nigeria and Israel in health, humanitarian aid, and technology transfer.
“The ambulances, for instance, represent more than vehicles or medical equipment; they represent time saved in critical moments of medical emergency. These gifts will support families and save lives. As they begin their journey from Israel to Nigeria, they carry with them a shared commitment to save lives irrespective of race or religion.
“It also reflects Israel’s commitment to supporting Nigeria’s efforts to achieve universal health coverage and build a more resilient health system.
“We deeply appreciate Israel’s commitment to saving lives and deepening bilateral ties. This donation is a clear demonstration of friendship and solidarity between our two nations”, Ufochukwu stated.
By Bridget Chiedu Onochie, The Guardian
Dangote plans to buy ships after struggling to move cement from Nigeria to Ghana
Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, is looking to take greater control of another part of his industrial supply chain, this time by putting his company’s products on its own ships.
Dangote Industries is moving towards acquiring vessels to transport products from Nigeria to markets across West and Central Africa, as limited shipping capacity and the cost of moving goods by road complicate the group’s regional expansion.
Sada Ladan-Baki, head of international trade export at Dangote Cement, disclosed the plan on Tuesday at a seminar on non-oil exports, according to BusinessDay.
“We are moving forward towards getting our own ships in order to do this business,” Ladan-Baki said.
The problem facing the conglomerate is particularly striking given the short distance between some of its markets.
Ladan-Baki said the company was unable to find a vessel to transport a 1,000-metric-tonne shipment from Nigeria to Ghana, highlighting the shortage of readily available shipping capacity for regional trade.
The alternative, moving products by road through neighbouring countries, comes with its own costs.
Dangote said cement transported from Nigeria towards Ghana encounters taxes while passing through countries including Benin and Togo, increasing the final cost and making Nigerian exports less competitive.
The shipping plan could therefore allow the conglomerate to bypass some of those overland barriers while strengthening its control over logistics.
Dangote’s growing dependence on the sea
The move is significant because Dangote’s businesses are becoming increasingly dependent on maritime trade.
Its $20 billion refinery in Lagos is already dramatically changing Nigeria’s seaborne trade. The U.S. Energy Information Administration said this week that Nigeria’s petroleum-product exports by sea have increased seven-fold since 2023, driven primarily by production from the Dangote refinery.
The refinery is also expected to handle about 600 vessels annually, combining ships bringing crude into the facility and those carrying refined products to domestic and international markets.
Last year, the refinery was considering vessel acquisitions as its maritime operations expanded. The latest comments show that the shipping strategy is extending beyond petroleum products to the group’s wider regional export ambitions.
Dangote Cement has operations across several African markets, making transport costs particularly important to the group’s ability to compete across borders.
The company has built a substantial trucking operation to support distribution, but moving heavy commodities such as cement long distances by road can become expensive when fuel costs, border delays and taxes are added.
Owning ships would give Dangote greater control over another section of its supply chain, much as the group has invested in ports, terminals and other infrastructure supporting its cement, fertiliser and refinery businesses.
Nigeria’s shipping gap
The problem also exposes a longstanding weakness in Nigeria’s maritime economy.
Nigeria has struggled to develop a sizeable domestically owned commercial fleet since the collapse of the Nigerian National Shipping Line in 1995. BusinessDay estimates that about $6 billion in annual freight earnings is largely captured by foreign shipping companies.
Dangote would not be the first Nigerian billionaire-led industrial group to respond by buying vessels.
In 2022, BUA Group, controlled by Nigerian billionaire Abdul Samad Rabiu, acquired two vessels to support sugar exports to West African markets and reduce logistics costs.
Nigeria is simultaneously trying to increase local ship ownership through the Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund.
The fund was established under the 2003 Cabotage Act to provide financing for Nigerian operators to acquire vessels. The government launched a digital portal for accessing the fund in January 2026 after more than two decades of delays surrounding its disbursement.
Ladan-Baki called for faster access to the fund and greater participation from commercial banks and institutions such as Afreximbank in financing vessel purchases.
For Dangote, however, acquiring ships would do more than solve a Nigerian logistics problem. It could give one of Africa’s largest industrial groups greater control over how cement, fertiliser and potentially other products move between its growing network of African markets.
The move is significant because Dangote’s businesses are becoming increasingly dependent on maritime trade.
Its $20 billion refinery in Lagos is already dramatically changing Nigeria’s seaborne trade. The U.S. Energy Information Administration said this week that Nigeria’s petroleum-product exports by sea have increased seven-fold since 2023, driven primarily by production from the Dangote refinery.
The refinery is also expected to handle about 600 vessels annually, combining ships bringing crude into the facility and those carrying refined products to domestic and international markets.
Last year, the refinery was considering vessel acquisitions as its maritime operations expanded. The latest comments show that the shipping strategy is extending beyond petroleum products to the group’s wider regional export ambitions.
Dangote Cement has operations across several African markets, making transport costs particularly important to the group’s ability to compete across borders.
The company has built a substantial trucking operation to support distribution, but moving heavy commodities such as cement long distances by road can become expensive when fuel costs, border delays and taxes are added.
Owning ships would give Dangote greater control over another section of its supply chain, much as the group has invested in ports, terminals and other infrastructure supporting its cement, fertiliser and refinery businesses.
Nigeria’s shipping gap
The problem also exposes a longstanding weakness in Nigeria’s maritime economy.
Nigeria has struggled to develop a sizeable domestically owned commercial fleet since the collapse of the Nigerian National Shipping Line in 1995. BusinessDay estimates that about $6 billion in annual freight earnings is largely captured by foreign shipping companies.
Dangote would not be the first Nigerian billionaire-led industrial group to respond by buying vessels.
In 2022, BUA Group, controlled by Nigerian billionaire Abdul Samad Rabiu, acquired two vessels to support sugar exports to West African markets and reduce logistics costs.
Nigeria is simultaneously trying to increase local ship ownership through the Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund.
The fund was established under the 2003 Cabotage Act to provide financing for Nigerian operators to acquire vessels. The government launched a digital portal for accessing the fund in January 2026 after more than two decades of delays surrounding its disbursement.
Ladan-Baki called for faster access to the fund and greater participation from commercial banks and institutions such as Afreximbank in financing vessel purchases.
For Dangote, however, acquiring ships would do more than solve a Nigerian logistics problem. It could give one of Africa’s largest industrial groups greater control over how cement, fertiliser and potentially other products move between its growing network of African markets.
By Ayodeji Adegboyega, Business Insider Africa
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