The ransom for kidnapped missionary Rev. Phyllis Sortor was cut in half on Thursday.
The initial demand was $300,000, but the kidnappers are now asking for $150,000.
Sortor was taken from Hope Academy in Kogi State by armed men in Monday. They are suspected to be gang members, and not fighters in the terrorist organisation Boko Haram.
"That's not big money if you are a trans-national jihadist," Mark Schroeder, vice president of Africa Analysis for global intelligence at Stratfor, told FoxNews.com.
"It could be some local gang desperate for cash. Or presidential elections are coming up and this could have been a quick way for a group to extort money basically for rigging an election."
Although the figure is a relatively low sum, Kogi State Police Commissioner Adeyemi Ogunjemilusi urged Rev. Sortor's family and friends not to pay the men.
"The general concept here is that Americans have money," Ogunjemilusi explained. "So they thought that by kidnapping her, they can get money. We don't think it's a good idea for the family to negotiate with the abductors on the ransom because we are sure we will find her."
The FBI, State Department, local police, and Nigerian security officials are working together to determine Sortor's location and rescue her.
"We are aware of media reports that a U.S. citizen was reported missing in Nigeria," a State Department spokesperson told FoxNews.com on Thursday.
"The welfare of U.S. citizens is one of the Department's highest priorities. In cases where U.S. citizens are confirmed missing, the U.S. embassy works closely with those involved, supporting local authorities in their search efforts, and provide all appropriate consular assistance. We have no further information to share due to privacy considerations."
