Many things fuel the kidnap economy, chief of which are poverty, unemployment, and inequality. But ultimately, there are five pillars on which the kidnap industry thrives: Ungoverned spaces, gang formation, weapons acquisition, communications, and collusion. All of these are issues that can be dealt with if we are serious about solving the problem.
At the end of May 2020, SBM Intelligence published a report which points out that nearly $20 million was spent by Nigerians in ransom payments to kidnappers between 2011 and 2020. What is very important in that…
