North’s vast terrain fuels kidnapping, weakens security response — SBM

The huge disparity between kidnapping figures in northern and southern Nigeria is largely driven by the nature of the groups operating in both regions, a report by SBM Intelligence has said.According to the 2026 edition of its Economics of Nigeria’s Kidnap Industry report, syndicated bandit and jihadist groups in the North have the capacity to field sizeable militias, occupy vast rural areas and operate in territories where government presence is limited.The report noted that geography al