Between 2019 and 2026, more than 7,700 people were kidnapped on ten of Nigeria's major highways. This is not headline panic. This is structured data — road by road, year by year — analyzed so that anyone planning road travel in Nigeria can make an informed decision about which routes carry the highest risk of abduction.
Nigeria's kidnapping crisis is not evenly distributed. Most of the danger is concentrated in the Northwest and North-Central corridors, on a handful of routes that pass through dense forest reserves and remote terrain where security presence is thin and bandits operate with near-impunity. But the problem is spreading southward, and no geopolitical zone is entirely insulated.
The data in this analysis was compiled from SBM Intelligence security reports, WifiTalents public safety research, HumAngle's incident tracker, and academic studies on the Abuja-Kaduna corridor. The methodology combines confirmed rescues, reported abductions, and statistical projections based on regional security trends. Where road-specific figures were unavailable for a given year, estimates were derived from state-level data and highway-specific risk assessments.
Here is what the data shows.
Interactive Kidnapping Risk Map
The map below plots all ten roads in this dataset. Circle size represents the number of kidnapping victims in the selected year. Click any marker for a full year-by-year breakdown and risk profile for that road. Use the year selector to watch how the crisis has evolved from 2019 to 2026.
Nigeria Highway Kidnapping Risk Map
Victim counts by road and year — click a marker for full detail
Year-by-Year Trend: All Roads Combined
Total kidnapping victims across all ten roads analyzed peaked in 2023 at 1,963 — driven primarily by the extraordinary spike on the Abuja-Kaduna Highway, where SBM Intelligence recorded over 1,000 victims in Kaduna State that year. Since then, aggregate figures have declined, but the decline is uneven: the Northwest routes remain persistently dangerous, while South-South and Southeast corridors are trending upward.
Road-by-Road Risk Profiles
Not all dangerous roads are dangerous in the same way. Below is a detailed breakdown of each highway in the dataset — the cumulative victim count, the threat actors, the high-risk stretches, and the trend direction.
Abuja–Kaduna Highway
📍 North-Central / Northwest — Federal Capital Territory to Kaduna StateThe single most dangerous highway in Nigeria for kidnapping. This 175-km corridor linking Abuja to Kaduna has been the primary operational theatre for armed bandits emerging from the Kaduna-Niger State forest belt. The route became so hazardous that many travellers switched to the Abuja-Kaduna train — until terrorists attacked the AK-9 passenger service in March 2022, killing passengers and abducting over 60 others.
The 2023 victim count of 1,120 is the highest single-year figure on any road in this dataset. While 2024 and 2025 show declining numbers, security analysts caution that improvements are fragile and incident data may reflect underreporting rather than a structural improvement in security.
Birnin Gwari–Kaduna Highway
📍 Northwest — Kaduna / Niger / Zamfara corridorKnown as "The Red Zone" among travellers, this road passes through the Kuduru Forest — a stronghold for Ansaru, an Al-Qaeda-linked group operating in the Northwest. Commercial vehicles on this route frequently wait for police or military escorts before proceeding. Villages along the route have been largely abandoned, depriving security forces of local intelligence.
Unlike the Abuja-Kaduna road which surged and is now declining, Birnin Gwari shows a consistent upward trend across all eight years — the only road in the dataset with no year-on-year reduction. This is the definition of a structural threat rather than an episodic spike.
Maiduguri–Damboa Road
📍 Northeast — Borno StateThis road operates in the shadow of the Boko Haram / ISWAP insurgency in Borno State. Unlike the Northwest routes where banditry is the primary threat, the Maiduguri-Damboa corridor sees both insurgent activity and opportunistic kidnapping for ransom. The road connects Maiduguri to the agricultural communities south of the state capital, making it a critical supply route with limited alternative paths.
Lokoja–Okene–Auchi Road
📍 North-Central / South-South — Kogi / Edo StateThis corridor is a key connector between the North-Central and South-South zones, passing through the densely forested terrain of Kogi and Edo states. SBM Intelligence's 2025 "Roads to Nowhere" report flagged the Port Harcourt-Warri-Benin axis as an emerging kidnapping hotspot, and the Lokoja-Okene-Auchi road feeds directly into that zone. Communal conflict in Kogi adds a second layer of risk beyond organised banditry.
Katsina-Ala to Zaki Biam Road
📍 North-Central — Benue StateThis road in Benue State is shaped by a different threat dynamic: farmer-herder conflicts, youth gang violence, and pastoral disputes that spill onto the highway. The Katsina-Ala area has seen repeated attacks on commuters, and Nextier SPD research identified road-blocking and ambush as primary tactics in this zone. Victims here are often targeted opportunistically rather than being the result of coordinated bandit operations.
Enugu–Port Harcourt Expressway
📍 Southeast — Enugu / Rivers StateThe Enugu-Port Harcourt expressway is the Southeast's most significant highway security concern. While volumes are lower than the Northwest routes, kidnapping incidents here have risen year-on-year since 2019 with no reversal. SBM Intelligence's 2025 report flagged Port Harcourt as the most hazardous urban centre for kidnapping, citing rampant abductions for ransom and limited police patrols. This road funnels directly into that risk zone.
Lagos–Ibadan Expressway
📍 Southwest — Lagos / Ogun / Oyo StateThe Lagos-Ibadan Expressway presents a dual threat: it is Nigeria's busiest highway for road traffic accidents (the FRSC recorded 175 crashes in Q1 2025 alone, with 73 deaths) and an increasingly active kidnapping corridor. The 2024 victim spike to 430 reflects both improved reporting and a genuine increase in abduction activity on the forest-flanked sections between Ogere and Ibadan. The Punch's 2022 investigation labeled the Southwest "in danger" as kidnapping spread beyond the traditional Northern hotspots.
Full Data Table: All 10 Roads, 2019–2026
The table below ranks all roads by cumulative victim count and shows the year-by-year trend pattern. Use the sparkbar trend indicators to identify whether a road is improving (declining bars) or deteriorating (rising bars). Roads marked Critical require avoidance or armed escort. Roads marked Elevated require heightened awareness and daytime-only travel.
| # | Road | Risk Level | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026* | Total | Trend |
|---|
*2026 figures are partial-year data (annualised estimate). Sources: SBM Intelligence, WifiTalents, HumAngle, ResearchGate.
What the Data Tells Us About Nigeria's Kidnapping Geography
Three patterns emerge clearly from seven years of road-level data that are worth examining beyond the headline numbers.
The Northwest is the epicentre, but not the only story. The Abuja-Kaduna and Birnin Gwari roads account for nearly half of all victims in the dataset. Both routes pass through the Kaduna-Niger-Zamfara forest belt — a contiguous stretch of dense forest that has become what one security analyst called "an ungoverned operating space" for armed groups. The forest provides cover for staging ambushes, holding victims, and moving between states without interception. Until that geographic problem is addressed, the roads that pass through it will remain dangerous regardless of security deployments.
The South is catching up. In 2019, Lagos-Ibadan recorded 15 victims. By 2024, that figure was 430 — a 2,767% increase. The Enugu-Port Harcourt corridor has also risen consistently every year with no reduction. SBM Intelligence's 2025 survey identified Port Harcourt as the most hazardous urban hub for kidnapping in Nigeria, surpassing Maiduguri. This is a structural shift: kidnapping operations are no longer a predominantly Northern phenomenon, and road travellers across all zones need to update their risk assumptions.
Improvement on one road does not mean improvement in the system. The Abuja-Kaduna Highway has shown declining victim numbers since its 2023 peak. But in the same period, several other roads show upward movement. Security operations that concentrate force on the most visible corridor may displace rather than eliminate the threat. A data literacy point that is easy to miss: falling aggregate numbers can mask the fact that the risk is spreading geographically rather than retreating.
"Nigeria's roads are fraught with danger, from insecurity hotspots in Port Harcourt, Maiduguri and Lagos to inconsistent police patrols and treacherous road conditions." — SBM Intelligence, Roads to Nowhere, 2025
Practical Safety Guidance for Road Travellers
🛡 Before You Travel by Road in Nigeria
The majority of kidnapping ambushes on Nigerian highways occur at night or in the early hours of the morning. Nextier SPD data shows December, November, and January as peak months — adjust accordingly during festive travel periods.
Monitor HumAngle's incident tracker and local police commands' social media feeds before departing. A route may be clear at 6am and compromised by 10am. The threat is dynamic, not static.
On the Birnin Gwari-Kaduna Highway and surrounding roads, commercial vehicles regularly convoy with security escorts. Do not travel this route solo or without coordinating with local transport operators about current escort schedules.
For the Abuja-Kaduna corridor specifically, air travel remains safer than road. For Lagos-Ibadan, consider traveling during off-peak hours when traffic is lighter and response times shorter. For Northeast Nigeria, consult security advisories from the DSS before any road travel.
Nextier SPD's survey found that 64.7% of highway attacks occur in road locations surrounded by forests. If your route passes through forested terrain, prioritise reaching open terrain before nightfall.
Before any long-distance road trip in Nigeria, share your route, departure time, and expected arrival time with someone who can raise the alarm if you do not check in. This basic step significantly improves response speed in an emergency.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most dangerous road in Nigeria for kidnapping?
Based on kidnapping victim data compiled from 2019 to 2026, the Abuja-Kaduna Highway is the most dangerous road in Nigeria. In 2023, more than 1,100 victims were recorded on this corridor. It is followed by the Birnin Gwari-Kaduna Highway, which is unique in showing a consistent year-on-year increase with no reversal across the entire analysis period.
Which Nigerian roads are most dangerous to travel in 2025 and 2026?
The five highest-risk roads for kidnapping as of 2025–2026 are: the Abuja-Kaduna Highway, the Birnin Gwari-Kaduna Highway, the Maiduguri-Damboa Road, the Lokoja-Okene-Auchi Road, and the Katsina-Ala to Zaki Biam Road. The Lagos-Ibadan Expressway should also be treated as high-risk given its dramatic rise in victim numbers since 2022.
Is kidnapping in Nigeria getting better or worse?
The aggregate picture is mixed. The Abuja-Kaduna Highway, which drove the 2023 national peak, has declined since then. However, multiple other corridors — including Lagos-Ibadan and Enugu-Port Harcourt — are trending upward. The overall system-wide position is one of geographic expansion rather than structural improvement. The total victim count across all analysed roads rose approximately 34% from 2019 to 2024.
What time of year is most dangerous for road travel in Nigeria?
Research from Nextier SPD identifies December, November, and January — the festive and New Year travel season — as the most dangerous months. Increased passenger volumes during these periods create more targets and may strain security response capacity. Holiday travellers on long-distance routes face heightened risk during peak seasons.
Is it safer to travel by road or by air in Nigeria?
For routes where both options exist — primarily Abuja-Kaduna and Lagos-Abuja — air travel eliminates road kidnapping risk entirely. The cost differential is real, but for high-value business travellers or anyone passing through the Northwest or North-Central corridors, air travel is the risk-adjusted choice. For routes with no viable air alternative, applying the practical safety measures outlined in this article reduces exposure significantly.
Nigeria's road kidnapping crisis is data-visible in a way that it was not five years ago. The geography of the threat, the trend direction on each corridor, and the peak timing within the year are all knowable from publicly available sources. The gap is not information — it is the distribution of that information to the people who need it most before they get into a vehicle.
This analysis will be updated as new data becomes available. If you are planning road travel in Nigeria and need a current risk assessment for a specific route, the fastest way to get current intelligence is to check HumAngle's incident tracker and the DSS public advisories in the 24 hours before departure.
The road is not safe by assumption. It is safe by preparation.