Kidnappers in Nigeria collected nearly $5.8 million in ransom payments from civilian abductions between July 2025 and June 2026, as the number of kidnapped people rose 66% to 7,825, security consultancy SBM Intelligence said. At least 1,142 people were killed, while confirmed ransom payments more than tripled to 7.78 billion naira ($5.79 million). The figures were compiled from media reports, interviews and publicly available information and are considered conservative because many payments were not disclosed. A Boko Haram faction received 90% of recorded ransom payments from kidnappings in the northeast, although the northwest recorded more incidents and victims. The findings came as Nigeria's president ordered security forces to rescue as many as 600 civilians abducted in north-central Niger State the previous week. Kidnap-for-ransom activity is worsening the country's security crisis, disrupting education and weakening public trust, with schools, villages and major roads targeted by armed bandits and Islamist militants. SBM said Boko Haram, also known as Jama'atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda'awati Wal-Jihad, received about 7 billion naira, mainly from two mass abductions involving more than 300 people each. The security crisis is expected to be a central issue in Nigeria's January elections, while SBM warned that without a coordinated strategy addressing both the profitability and roots of kidnapping, the crime could become a funding mechanism for groups threatening the country's stability.