Catholic Priests Major Targets as Enugu, Anambra Top S/East Kidnap Chart.

At least 257 people were kidnapped in Nigeria’s Southeast between July 2024 and June 2025, according to a new security report by SBM Intelligence.

The figure represents 5.6 per cent of the national total of 4,722 abductions documented within the period.

The report, titled “Locust Business – The Economics of Nigeria’s Kidnap Industry: A 2025 Update,” ranked Enugu as the state with the highest record of kidnapped persons, with 123 in total.

Anambra followed with 63 kidnapped cases; 42 in Imo, 2 in Ebonyi and 27 in Abia State within the period in view.

The report further stated that kidnappers in the Southeast demanded N1.005bn in ransom, but only received N157.55m.

This accounted for 6.1 per cent of the N2.56bn collected nationwide.

While the North West remained the epicentre of abductions, the SBM said that the Southeast faced a different trend.

According to the report, “The Southeast and South-South face targeted religious abductions and financial extortion”, with clergy and professionals among the most affected.

“Catholic priests were a major group susceptible to kidnap attacks. However, in recent months, the net has widened to include other Catholic stakeholders such as nuns, catechists, seminary students and altar boys,” the report said.

Notable cases include the abduction of Reverent Father Gerald Ohaeri of Nsukka Diocese (Enugu) in December 2024, for whom N40m was reportedly paid.

Another case was the kidnapping of a Catholic engineer in Nimo community, Njikoka local government area of Anambra State in November 2024, where abductors demanded N50m.

The report added: “If the ransom demanded includes the N50 million demanded for the Catholic engineer who was kidnapped in Nimo community in Njikoka, Anambra State, in November 2024, the total jumps to N510 million.

“We believe that although paying ransoms no longer guarantees the safe release of the captives, it is possible that the decline in the death of abducted Catholic clergy may have to do with prompt ransom payments, a development the Catholic Church is
unlikely to admit.”

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