Nigerians paid ₦2.23tn in ransom in 12 months, NBS reports
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has revealed that Nigerians paid a total of ₦2.23 trillion in ransom over the 12 months between May 2023 and April 2024.
This amount was paid by households affected by kidnappings, underscoring the rising threat of criminal activities in the country.
According to the NBS’s latest Crime Experience and Security Perception Survey, an estimated 51.89 million crime incidents were reported across Nigerian households during this period.
The North-West region had the highest number of incidents, with 14.4 million cases, while the South-East reported the least, with 6.18 million incidents. Rural areas were more affected, with 26.53 million crime incidents compared to 25.36 million in urban areas.
The survey highlighted that 4.14 million households experienced home robberies, and 65% of kidnapping victims paid a ransom, averaging ₦2.67 million each. Despite this, only 36.3% of home robbery victims and a similarly low number of kidnapping victims reported the crimes to the police.
The report also noted that 21.4% of Nigerians were victims of individual crimes, with phone theft being the most common. While 90% of phone theft victims reported the incidents, only half were satisfied with the police response.
The survey revealed low confidence in law enforcement, with many victims citing ineffective police intervention. Public safety perceptions were also poor, with 9.6% of Nigerians fearing becoming victims of crime in the next year. In rural areas, 13% felt particularly vulnerable.
The effectiveness of Nigeria’s security forces, especially the police, was questioned, with only 33.1% of emergency calls receiving a response within 30 minutes.
Satisfaction with police responses was low, particularly in rural areas, where local vigilante groups were often seen as more reliable for security.
Proofreading by Uchechi Ojo, Sub-editor at NeptunePrime.
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