A recent report by the Financial Times has painted a grim picture of Nigeria’s deepening insecurity, describing how kidnapping has grown into a multi-billion-naira industry as citizens struggle to protect themselves amid a breakdown in law enforcement.
In the report published on October 23, 2025, British journalist Aanu Adeoye detailed how abductions have become one of the fastest-growing criminal enterprises in Africa’s most populous nation. Drawing from firsthand accounts and security data, the Financial Times found that kidnapping for ransom is now so pervasive that “nearly all parts of the country are blighted,” from the north to the southern states.
According to figures cited from SBM Intelligence, kidnappers in Nigeria demanded nearly $1.7 million in ransom in the year to June 2025 — a reflection of how profitable the business has become. Analysts told the paper that the true numbers are likely far higher, as many families choose to keep ransom payments secret to avoid becoming repeat targets.
The Financial Times traced the rise of kidnapping back to the Niger Delta militancy of the 1990s and 2000s, when armed groups began abducting foreign oil workers to extract ransoms. But it said the crime has since evolved into a nationwide epidemic, now affecting both the rich and the poor.
“Currently, it is hard to say that richer Nigerians face more kidnap risk, since it has become a free-for-all that involves even the poorest members of society,” said Confidence MacHarry, a senior security analyst at SBM Intelligence.
The report highlighted that Nigeria’s wealthy elite have increasingly resorted to hiring armed police escorts and private security operatives to protect themselves, while ordinary citizens are left exposed. The FT noted that some of the country’s richest individuals retain as many as 20 police officers for personal protection.
“You’re dealing with a collapsed system, because you have now privatised official security,” a former Nigerian governor told the paper. “Why should a minister or governor have a battalion of officers? It is because general policing has broken down. Everything collapses when you don’t address security and welfare.”
The report said Nigeria now has about 370,000 police officers for its more than 220 million citizens — far below the United Nations recommendation of one officer per 450 people. With poor remuneration and inadequate equipment, many police officers prefer private postings to wealthy individuals, leaving public safety in decline.
The FT concluded that kidnapping has become “a daily reality that Nigerians have learned to live with,” describing a country where “the richest people have money but no security, while the middle class is left at the mercy of armed gangs.”
Although the Financial Times report did not directly name Bola Tinubu, it reflects growing concern among citizens and international observers about the worsening security situation during his administration.
The story follows a series of recent reports by global outlets highlighting rising insecurity, economic hardship, and political tension in Nigeria under Tinubu’s leadership, who took office in May 2023.