In a report by SBM Intelligence, over 2,371 persons were abducted between January and June 2021 in Nigeria

According to the report, an average of 13 persons were abducted daily within the period across the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory.

The report noted that N10 billion ($19.96 million as of June 30) was demanded as ransom without stating the total amount paid by victims.

In the report, whose data was derived from media reports and the national security tracker of the Council of Foreign Relations, Niger recorded the highest incidents with 643 victims in 28 cases while 58 people were killed in abduction attempts.

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Zamfara State came second with 519 kidnap victims in seven incidents, leading to deaths of 22 while Kaduna had 360 victims in 26 incidents leading to deaths of 41.

“Schools were often targeted in the abductions that took place in the first half of 2021, with hundreds of students taken hostage in the North-West,” it added.

The kidnap victims in other states are; Abia (6), Abuja (50), Adamawa (3), Akwa Ibom (2), Anambra (14), Bauchi (3), Bayelsa (7), Benue (6), Borno (1), Cross River (4), Delta (51), Ebonyi (5), Edo (18), Ekiti (14), Enugu (15), Gombe (1), Imo (25), Jigawa (2), Kano (3), Katsina (236), Kebbi (81), Kogi (31) and Kwara (10).

Others include Lagos (6), Nasarawa (44), Ogun (26), Ondo (17), Osun (23), Oyo (61), Plateau (10), Rivers (14), Sokoto (10), Taraba (46), and Yobe (4).