The Global Advisor Kidnap & extortive crime | July 2025
Africa
Reported kidnaps in Nigeria increased by 42% in the second quarter of 2025 relative to the same period in the previous year. The increase was itself driven by rises in the north-west and north-central regions, both longstanding hotspots for reported kidnaps-for-ransom. Control Risks also recorded an uptick in the abduction of foreign nationals, including multiple incidents involving gangs targeting Chinese mine workers, as well as the abduction of an Israeli employee of an engineering company in Abia state. Most of these incidents occurred during escorted transit or at secure outdoor worksites, underscoring the high capabilities of the perpetrators. Perpetrators will retain a high intent and capability to target commercial personnel over the coming quarters. The Sahel region has continued to see an escalation in reported kidnaps of foreign nationals, driven by the activity of Islamist extremist groups, such as Nusrat al-Islam (JNIM) and Islamic State Sahel Province (ISSP), as well as financially motivated criminals. Since early 2025, these groups have deliberately increased the frequency of such abductions. A growing number of these incidents have occurred outside the traditional kidnapping hotspots of northern Mali and the tri-border Liptako-Gourma region, underscoring the growing geographical reach of armed groups. The drivers behind this uptick, namely a deteriorating security environment and armed groups’ need for continued sources of funding, are unlikely to abate, sustaining an elevated kidnap threat to foreign nationals over the coming quarters.
The kidnapping environment in South Africa has continued to worsen as kidnap gangs grow in capabilities and diversify their victim targeting. While the April abduction of a US pastor was a relative outlier, it reflects a broader trend of greater operational freedom and unconventional tactics on the part of kidnap groups. Other incidents over the quarter have highlighted a similar broadening of victim targeting, with kidnap groups moving beyond their traditional focus on small business owners in cash-intensive sectors. Notable examples included the abduction of a bank executive in Gauteng province in May and the kidnap of a construction project manager in the Eastern Cape in June. Further periodic diversification in tactics and targeting remains likely as a higher number of gangs view kidnapping as a viable source of income. Reported kidnaps in Mozambique saw a modest increase in the second quarter of 2025 relative to the same period in the previous year. In Maputo, criminal gangs continued to target expatriate business owners and their dependants, maintaining the capabilities to hold their victims captive for extended periods. In Cabo Delgado province, kidnaps-for-ransom have escalated, owing to growing activity by both the Islamist extremist group al-Sunnah and financially motivated criminals. The April abduction of four Chinese nationals, reportedly linked to the construction sector, in Ancuabe district (Cabo Delgado province) underscores the growing kidnap threat to commercial personnel operating in rural areas of the province.
61 % of abductions happened in transit/outdoors 83 % of abductions resolved in less than 8 days 18 sectors affected
Key developments April to June 2025
Reported kidnaps across Sub-Saharan Africa increased by 22% in the second quarter of 2025 relative to the same period in 2024, largely driven by increases in Nigeria. Nigeria saw a 42% increase in reported kidnaps in the second quarter of 2025 relative to the same period in 2024. Threat actors in the Sahel region continued to focus on kidnapping- for-ransom, driving an uptick in the abduction of foreign nationals. Kidnap gangs in South Africa continued to grow in capabilities and diversify victim targeting. Islamist extremist and criminal groups continued to escalate their kidnap operations in northern Mozambique , while criminal groups continued to target small business owners in the capital Maputo.
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