NIGERIA: NBS Report: Nigerians Paid N2.3 Trillion To Kidnappers In Ransom

By Ameenat Hamzat, Lagos, Nigeria

The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on Tuesday, released a report disclosing that Nigerians paid an estimated N2.3 trillion in ransom to kidnappers between May 2023 and April 2024.

This figure reflects the prevalence of crime and the heavy financial burden it places on citizens across the country.

The data, gotten from the NBS 2024 Crime Experience and Security Perception Survey Report, also highlights the level of criminal activities in the country, with 51.39 million crime incidents reported during the period stated.

The report shows the level of crime in different regions of the country.

In the Northwest, it stated that the region recorded the highest number of incidents, with 14.4 million cases, followed by the North Central with 8.8 million.

Meanwhile, the Southeast had the least reported crimes, with 6.18 million criminal cases.

The findings also revealed that rural areas experience more crimes, recording 26.53 million incidents, compared to 25.36 million in urban areas.

This difference shows the vulnerability of rural communities, particularly in the northern part of the country, which often face more crimes due to lack of adequate Infrastructure.

However, one of the most alarming parts of the report is the prevalence of kidnapping in Nigeria. According to the survey, 65% of victims of kidnapping or their families were forced to pay ransom to secure their release.

Additionally, 4.14 million households reportedly experienced home robberies during the same period.

Despite the high rates of these crimes, the report revealed that only 36.3% of home robbery cases were reported to law enforcement agencies, particularly, the police.

The situation is even worse for kidnapping cases, where reporting rates are significantly lower.

One of the major causes of this trend is the Public distrust in law enforcement agencies, particularly the police.

The report found that 4.6% of crime victims, approximately 85,000 people, did not report their experiences due to a lack of confidence in law enforcement.

Many victims believed the police were either powerless to address the situation or would fail to provide meaningful assistance, hence, their silence.

Even among those who reported crimes, less than half expressed satisfaction with how their cases were handled.

The NBS Crime Experience and Security Perception Survey also highlighted the inefficiency of law enforcement agencies in providing emergency response services.

According to the report, Only 3.1% of respondents stated that security agencies responded to emergency calls within 30 minutes.

The report also highlighted the data of other crimes in different regions and analysed the difference in response time for each region.