MTX News – Global Security & Policy
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A recent academic study reveals that Boko Haram has transformed kidnapping from a tool of terror into a systematic economic strategy, sustaining its insurgency for more than two decades despite sustained military pressure.
The study, titled “The Economics of Abduction for Ransom: A Critical Analysis of Boko Haram’s Kidnapping Strategy,” was authored by Gbemileke Apata of Lewis University, Romeoville, Illinois, United States, and published in the International Journal of Integrative Research (IJIR), Vol. 3 No. 11 (2025) 843-852+(Gbemileke+Apata).
Kidnapping as a Financial Engine of Insurgency
According to Apata, Boko Haram’s evolution reflects a broader shift in modern insurgencies, where ideological violence increasingly intersects with economic rationality. Originally emerging in the early 2000s as a religious reform movement, Boko Haram gradually restructured itself into a financially driven insurgent organization.
“As external funding declined and military pressure intensified, kidnapping for ransom became the group’s most reliable source of income,” Apata argues. Hostages were effectively commodified, with their value determined by political symbolism, media visibility, and perceived ransom potential.
Three Phases of Boko Haram’s Kidnapping Strategy
The study identifies three distinct phases in Boko Haram’s use of abduction between 2000 and 2025:
- Early Phase (2000–2010)
Kidnappings were sporadic and primarily ideological, aimed at intimidation rather than profit. - Institutionalization Phase (2011–2015)
Kidnapping became a core financing mechanism, highlighted by high-profile cases such as the 2014 abduction of 276 Chibok schoolgirls, which brought global attention and reinforced kidnapping as both an economic and political weapon. - Decentralization Phase (2016–2025)
Following territorial losses and internal fragmentation, kidnapping networks became decentralized and expanded across borders into Niger, Cameroon, and Chad. While ransom amounts declined, the frequency of abductions increased, indicating a shift toward volume-based survival strategies.
Governance Failures and the Shadow Economy of Ransom
The research underscores that Boko Haram’s kidnapping economy thrives in contexts of weak governance, poverty, corruption, and limited state presence. In northeastern Nigeria, the absence of effective security and regulatory oversight has allowed an illicit ransom market to flourish.
This shadow economy, Apata notes, has entrenched criminal collaboration, informal justice systems, and parallel governance structures that further erode state legitimacy. Beyond financing terrorism, the kidnapping economy has inflicted severe social and economic damage, reducing trade activity, discouraging investment, and traumatizing affected communities.
Policy Implications
The study concludes that dismantling Boko Haram’s financial resilience requires more than military solutions. Apata calls for a multidimensional policy response, including:
- Disruption of informal ransom payment networks
- Strengthening governance and anti-corruption mechanisms
- Long-term socioeconomic investment in conflict-affected regions
- Enhanced regional security cooperation across West and Central Africa
Without addressing the economic logic underlying abduction, the study warns, kidnapping for ransom will remain a durable tactic not only for Boko Haram but also for criminal and extremist groups across the Sahel.
Author:
Gbemileke Apata
Lewis University, Romeoville, Illinois, USA
Source:
International Journal of Integrative Research (IJIR), Vol. 3 No. 11, 2025