by Ugo Ugboh

Nigerians paid N2.23 trillion as ransom to kidnappers in the 12 months between May 2023 and April 2024, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said in a report released on Tuesday.

In the same period, households across the country experienced an estimated 51,887,032 crime incidences, NBS said.

The state-owned statistical agency, in its latest Crime Experience and Security Perception Survey report published on Tuesday, said 65 per cent of households affected by kidnapping in the reference period paid ransoms for the release of their loved ones from the kidnappers’ den.

“The average amount paid as ransom was ₦2,670,693, with an estimated total ransom of ₦2,231,772,563,507 paid within the reference period,” the NBS said.

Kidnapping incidence within the period was was estimated at 2,235,954 nationally, with results showing that rural areas (1,668,104) recorded more kidnappings than urban areas (567,850).

“Further analysis by zones revealed that North-West had the highest cases (1,420,307), followed by North-Central (317,837), while the least was recorded in South-East (110,432),” it said.

Of the households that experienced kidnapping, the survey indicated that 80.5 per cent reported it to the police.

“The South-South zone had the highest reporting rate at 100 percent, followed by North-Central at 89.6 percent, while North-West was least reported at 73.9 percent,” the report noted.

“Disaggregated by place of residence, urban areas recorded 87.1 percent compared to 77.3 percent in rural areas,” it said.

The report showed that some of the abducted persons were killed, while others were released. Of the reported cases of kidnapping, 82.1 percent were released, 12.8 percent were killed, and 3.3 percent were still in captivity.

“About 91 percent of kidnapping incidents were done for ransom in the form of money, goods, or other benefits,” the report said.

“Also, 2.4 percent of cases were attributed to political, criminal, or terrorist objectives, while 2.1 percent were linked to personal or family disputes. Custody disputes accounted for 0.5 percent of cases,” it said.

On the overall crime rate in Nigeria, the NBS survey suggested that North-West region reported the highest incidences of crime at household level (14,402,254), followed by North-Central (8,771,400), while South-East (6,176,031) reported the least in the review period.

The report also showed that crime incidence in the rural areas stood at 26.52 million, higher than 25.36 million in urban areas.

It further showed that 4.14 million home robbery cases were experienced in the review period, but less than half (about 36.3 per cent) of the households who were victims of home robbery reported their experience to the police.

The most common reasons for not reporting crimes, the survey found, included lack of confidence in law enforcement and the belief that police intervention would not result in meaningful action.

At the individual level, the report said 21.4 per cent of Nigerians reported being victims of crime, the most common crime being phone theft, which accounted for 13.8 per cent.

About 90 per cent of victims of phone thefts reported to the police, and only 50 per cent of the victims expressed satisfaction with police responses, NBS added.

Nationwide, about 1.4 million experienced sexual offences, which occurred mostly in someone else’s home (27.7 per cent), followed by the victim’s home (22.2 per cent).

The study also showed that sexual offences were less likely to occur at a public transport station (0.9 per cent), and only 22.7 per cent of victims reported to the police.

Public perception on safety showed that 9.6 per cent of Nigerians believed they might be a victim of crime in the next 12 months.

In rural areas, 13 per cent of the population believed they could be victims of crime compared to 7 per cent in urban areas.

Security agencies’ average response time to emergencies was a key indicator of effective crime prevention, the study noted.

Nationally, 33.1 per cent of the population reported that the average response time to an emergency call by security agencies was less than 30 minutes. About four out of 10 households had at least one interaction with state or local security forces within the reference period.

Similarly, one out of two households had contact with the Nigeria Police, and 25.7 per cent reported the incidence of crime to the police after experiencing a crime.

The report further revealed that satisfaction with police responses was notably low, particularly for crimes like livestock theft (42.9 per cent) and crop theft (42.4 per cent).

In rural areas, many households relied on local vigilante groups, the report added.

“The Crime Experience and Security Perception Survey (CESPS) provides an in-depth understanding into the situation of crime in Nigeria. It is a household-based survey, and the target population comprises household members 15 years and older,” NBS said in the report’s Executive Summary.

“The survey was carried out to produce estimates at national and zonal levels covering both urban and rural areas for a twelve-month reference period (May 2023 to April 2024). The findings provide crucial insights for security agencies, stakeholders, and policymakers to improve public safety and align with the Sustainable Development Goals,” it said.