Family and friends of kidnap victims across the country paid an estimated sum of N2.2 trillion (₦2,231,772,563,507) as ransoms to secure their release from kidnappers’ den between May 2023 and April 2024, according to latest findings from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on Crime Experience and Security Perception Survey (CESPS), released yesterday.
Within the period under review, an estimated 51,887,032 crime incidences were experienced by households nationwide, the report added.
Among households that experienced kidnapping incidents, 65.0 per cent paid an average ransom of ₦2,670,693. Of the 51,887,032 total number of crime incidents reported during the period, North West with 14,402,254 reported the highest incidences of crime at household level, followed by North Central (8,771,400), while South East (6,176,031) reported the least.
The data revealed that crime incidence in rural areas (26,526,069) was higher than that of urban areas (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 experiences to the police.
According to the study, the most common reasons for not reporting crimes include lack of confidence in law enforcement and the belief that police intervention would not result in meaningful action. At the individual level, 21.4 per cent of Nigerians reported being victims of crime, and the most common crime was phone theft (13.8 per cent).
About 90 per cent of the victims of phone thefts reported to the police only 50 per cent of the victims expressed satisfaction with police responses. Nationwide, an estimated 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).
“Sexual offences are 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 of safety shows that 9.6 per cent of Nigerians believed they might be a victim of crime in the next 12 months.
In rural areas, 13.0 per cent of the population believed they could be victims of crime and 7.0 per cent in urban area,” CESPS disclosed.
In terms of security agencies’ timely response to emergencies, the report put average security agencies response nationally at 33.1 per cent; average response time to an emergency call by security agencies at 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. Also, one out of two households had contact with the Nigerian Police, and 25.7 percent reported the incidence of crime to the police after experiencing a crime.
“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 rely on local vigilante groups.”
The Crime Experience and Security Perception Survey provides an indepth understanding into the situation of crime in Nigeria. A household-based survey, the target population comprises household members 15 years and older.
The survey was carried out to produce estimates at national and zonal levels, covering both urban and rural areas for a 12-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 (SDGs).
