A groundbreaking report by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has revealed that Nigerian households paid a staggering N2.23 trillion in ransom to kidnappers between May 2023 and April 2024. This alarming figure comes despite the government allocating over N9 trillion to security agencies over the past five years.
Key Findings from the NBS Survey
The Crime Experience and Security Perception Survey conducted by the NBS estimated that approximately 2.24 million kidnapping incidents occurred during the 12-month period, affecting about 1.41 million households nationwide. Of those affected, 65% paid ransom to secure the release of victims, with the total amount paid reaching N2.23 trillion. The average ransom payment per incident was about N2.7 million.
Urban vs Rural Disparities
Households in urban areas paid higher amounts, averaging N3.7 million per incident, compared to N2.3 million in rural communities. However, kidnapping was more prevalent in rural areas, where about 1.67 million incidents were recorded, compared to 567,850 cases in urban locations.
Location of Kidnappings
The report revealed that nearly half of all kidnappings occurred at or near victims' homes. Specifically, 49.3% of cases happened around residential areas, 19.4% on the streets, 15.2% during vehicle travel, 9% on public transportation, and 4.7% at workplaces or schools.
Outcomes of Kidnapping Incidents
Of the kidnapping victims recorded during the survey period, 82.1% were eventually released, while 12.8% lost their lives. About 3.3% remained in captivity at the time of the survey, and the outcome of 1.3% of cases could not be determined.
Regional Distribution
The North-West region recorded the highest number of kidnapping cases, followed by the North-Central region. The South-East reported the lowest number of incidents. The report also showed that 80.5% of households affected by kidnapping reported the incidents to the police.
Overall Crime Statistics
Beyond kidnapping, the survey estimated that Nigerian households experienced about 51.89 million crime incidents during the one-year period. More than half of the crimes (51%) occurred in rural areas. The crimes captured included livestock theft, crop theft, burglary, home robbery, vehicle theft, murder, and kidnapping.
Livestock theft emerged as the most common crime, accounting for 18% of all reported incidents, followed by crop theft at 15.8%. Vehicle theft was the least common, making up just 0.6% of cases. Regionally, the North-East recorded the highest overall crime rate at 46.6%, followed by the North-West at 41.5%. The South-West reported the lowest crime rate at 22.4%.
Government Spending on Security
Despite the significant government spending on security, insecurity remains a major challenge. Data compiled from federal budget records show that between 2020 and 2024, the Federal Government approved about N9.17 trillion for key security institutions, including the Nigerian Army, Nigerian Air Force, Nigerian Navy, Defence Headquarters, Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Police Affairs, and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
Reporting of Crimes
The NBS survey covered more than 44.67 million households across Nigeria and found that 15.3 million households, representing 34.3%, experienced at least one form of crime during the review period. However, only 26% of all crime incidents were reported to the police. The North-East recorded the highest reporting rate at 30.4%, while the South-South had the lowest at 17.6%.
Perception of Safety
The report also examined how safe Nigerians feel in different locations. It found that most people feel safest in places of worship, hospitals, and their homes, while public transport systems, roadside ATMs, and walking alone in neighbourhoods ranked among the places where people feel least secure.
The report concluded that criminal activities continue to place a heavy financial and emotional burden on millions of households across the country, highlighting the urgent need for more effective security measures.
