Bandit Flagrantly Displays Ransom Money On Tiktok

A terrorist has been seen in a viral video flaunting some money collected from their victims as ransoms and uploaded on social media. 

The monies were seen in a series of tweets uploaded on X by a popular security expert, Zagazola Makama.

The tweet said: “Audacity: Bandit on Tiktok flaunting and showing off ransom money he collected from his victims.

“The user of the account has 3000 followers, some of them are bandits who openly show off their rifle and dressed in military or police uniforms.

“Tiktok platform has given room for insurgents to promote their campaign of terror without being restricted.”

Meanwhile, a report on kidnapping in the country had shown that no fewer than 3495 people were abducted in 582 kidnap-related incidents in the country in 11 months between July 2022 and June 2023.

The report done by SBM Intelligence, a research company, stated that at least N5billion ($6,410,256 as of 30 June 2023) was reported as ransom demands, while verified ransom payouts amounted to N302million ($387,179), or six percent of what was demanded within the period under review.

It noted that kidnap dynamics differ between individual and community cases, with secrecy less prevalent in larger-scale abductions, and that in some instances, kidnappers opt for non-monetary ransom like foodstuffs, especially in the Northwest and North Central regions which have exhibited higher numbers of in-kind (non-monetary) ransom demands.