Reported by: L. Imafidon | Edited by: Gabriel Osa
Abuja — Nigeria’s National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, has issued a stark warning to citizens about the dangers and unintended consequences of ransom payments amid the country’s deepening kidnapping crisis, even as law enforcement uncovers a growing pattern of staged abductions orchestrated by individuals seeking financial gain.
In recent months, Ribadu has repeatedly appealed to Nigerians to refrain from paying ransom to kidnappers, describing such payments as “counterproductive” because they embolden criminal gangs and perpetuate a lucrative abduction industry. In televised and public remarks, he stressed that security forces are capable of rescuing hostages without families having to pay criminals, urging citizens to avoid engaging in ransom negotiations that ultimately sustain the cycle of violence.
“We want to appeal to our people to please stop giving money to these people,” Ribadu said during a ceremony where kidnapped victims were handed back to families by security agencies. “Even when ransom is paid, many times it does not lead to the release of victims — and it fuels more kidnappings.”
The National Security Adviser’s comments come amid one of the most severe kidnapping crises in Nigeria’s recent history, with thousands of abduction cases recorded over the past year. Geopolitical analysts estimate that more than 4,700 Nigerians were kidnapped in a 12-month period, with ransom payments exceeding ₦2.5 billion, a figure that reflects the rising scale and profitability of the kidnap-for-ransom industry.
Beyond cautioning against ransom payments, Nigeria’s security community has been forced to grapple with an alarming new trend in criminal behaviour: staged kidnappings and self-abduction schemes designed to extort money from families. In one of the most egregious cases recorded this month, the Lagos State Police Command arrested a 26-year-old woman, Misturah Bada, and an accomplice for allegedly faking her own kidnapping in order to extort ₦2.5 million from her husband, a Nigerian resident abroad. Police investigations revealed that funds were paid into her account — part of a fabricated ransom scheme — before her story unraveled under questioning.
This case is not isolated. In the same city, detectives from the Anti-Kidnapping Tactical Squad apprehended a group of five suspects, including a schoolboy, who allegedly staged a fake kidnapping and released a distress video to terrorise a victim’s mother into paying a ₦1.7 million ransom. The police used the Point-of-Sale (POS) terminal transaction trail to trace and arrest the perpetrators, highlighting how criminals are adapting technology to perpetrate fraud under the guise of abduction.
Such incidents have alarmed both security officials and community leaders, who warn that fake abductions undermine genuine rescue efforts and waste already strained security resources, diverting attention away from real threats. Law enforcement authorities have emphasised that these staged schemes — often involving elaborate narratives and social media manipulation — are subject to criminal prosecution once uncovered.
The emergence of staged kidnappings as a criminal tactic reflects the wider insecurity landscape in Nigeria, where armed groups, bandits and opportunistic criminals exploit weak governance, porous borders, and limited security presence in rural and urban areas alike. Major ransom-driven abduction cases continue to dominate headlines, including widespread school kidnappings and mass abductions that have drawn both national outrage and intensified security responses.
Security experts say the incentive structure created by ransom payments has made kidnapping a persistent and profitable criminal enterprise, drawing domestic and foreign armed groups into the practice. The NSA has repeatedly stressed that paying kidnappers not only increases demand for their services but also strengthens their operational capacity, making future kidnappings more likely and more deadly.
Ribadu’s repeated public warnings have highlighted the challenges Nigeria faces in breaking the nexus between ransom payouts and criminal financing. While many families understandably opt to pay ransom when loved ones are in danger, authorities argue that doing so incentivises kidnappers, fuels terror financing, and ultimately erodes national security.
In addition to public admonitions, Nigerian security agencies are stepping up efforts to investigate and prevent staged kidnappings, using digital forensic tools and coordinated intelligence to track suspicious financial transactions linked to ransoms. Law enforcement officials have urged citizens to be vigilant and report irregular ransom requests to the police, rather than hurriedly complying with extortion demands.
Meanwhile, broader debates about security policy continue across political and civil society platforms, with calls for strengthened anti-kidnapping laws, improved community policing, and more robust coordination between federal and state security agencies. Analysts say that reducing the profitability of ransom payments — alongside sustained offensive operations against criminal networks — will be essential to curbing the kidnapping epidemic and its evolving tactics.
As Nigeria enters a new year grappling with entrenched insecurity, the NSA’s warnings and recent police actions underscore a mounting effort to shift public behaviour and dismantle the financial incentives driving both genuine and staged kidnappings. Whether these measures will significantly reduce the practice remains an urgent question for policymakers, families, and security officials alike.
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