A recent report by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has shed light on the alarming impact of criminal activities in Nigeria, particularly kidnapping.
Eko Hot Blog reports that the report reveals that Nigerians paid a staggering N2.23 trillion in ransom payments between May 2023 and April 2024.
According to the NBS’s Crime Experience and Security Perception Survey, an estimated 51.89 million crime incidents occurred across Nigerian households during the reference period.
The NBS report indicates that the North-West region experienced the highest number of crime incidents, with 14.4 million cases, followed by the North-Central region with 8.8 million incidents.
The South-East region experienced the lowest number of crime incidents in Nigeria, with 6.18 million cases recorded.
This contrasts with the higher crime rates observed in other regions, such as the North-West and North-Central.
The report further reveals that rural areas faced more crime incidents than urban areas, with 26.53 million and 25.36 million incidents, respectively.
This highlights the unique challenges and vulnerabilities faced by rural communities in terms of security and crime prevention.
Kidnapping remains a significant concern, with 4.14 million households affected by home robbery and 65% of those households forced to pay ransom for the victims’ release.
According to the NBS, the average ransom payment stood at N2.67 million, contributing to the staggering total of N2.23 trillion paid by Nigerians to criminals during the 12-month period.
Notwithstanding, only 36.3% of households that experienced home robbery incidents reported them to the police. The reporting rate for kidnapping cases was similarly low.
The report read, “Nationally, an estimated 51,887,032 crime incidences were experienced by households.
The North-West (14,402,254) reported the highest incidences of crime at the household level, followed by the North-Central (8,771,400), while the South-East (6,176,031) reported the least.
The result also shows that the crime incidence in the rural area (26,526,069) was higher than that of the urban area (25,360,963).
“In Nigeria, 4,142,174 households experienced home robbery. Less than half (36.3 per cent) of the households who were victims of home robbery reported their experience to the police.
Among households that experienced kidnapping incidents, 65.0 per cent paid a ransom.
“The average amount paid as ransom was N2,670,693, with an estimated total ransom of N2,231,772,563,507 paid within the reference period.”
Many victims cited a lack of confidence in law enforcement and a belief that police intervention would not lead to meaningful action as the main reasons for not reporting.
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