• Over 4 Million Households Attacked
• Only 36% of Robbery Victims Report to Police
• Sexual Offences Reach 1.4m, 22% Reported
DAILY COURIER – The grim realities of Nigeria’s insecurity were laid bare as the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) disclosed in its latest Crime Experience and Security Perception Survey that kidnappers collected a staggering $2.2 billion (₦2.2 trillion) in ransom payments between May 2023 and April 2024.
The report revealed that 51.9 million crime incidents occurred across the country during the 12-month period, with a disproportionate impact on households in the North-West (14.4 million cases), North-Central (8.8 million cases), and South-East (6.2 million cases).
The data highlights that over 65% of households involved in kidnapping incidents succumbed to paying an average ransom of ₦2.67 million per victim.
Further compounding the country’s security challenges, 4.1 million households experienced home robberies during the period. However, confidence in law enforcement remains abysmally low, as only 36.3% of robbery victims reported their cases to the police. The reluctance stems from the widespread belief that police intervention is either ineffective or inconsequential.
At the individual level, 21.4% of Nigerians reported being victims of crime, with phone theft (13.8%) topping the list. Despite a higher reporting rate (90%) for phone theft, satisfaction with police responses remains at an underwhelming 50%.
The survey also revealed harrowing statistics on sexual offences, with 1.4 million incidents reported nationwide. Most of these occurred either in the victim’s home or someone else’s residence, and only 22.7% of cases were reported to authorities.
The data paints a stark picture of rural insecurity, where 26.5 million crime incidents occurred, compared to 25.4 million in urban centers. Rural households are also more likely to rely on local vigilante groups rather than state security forces, given the average security response rate of 33.1%. Despite efforts, emergency response times across Nigeria remain woefully inadequate, averaging less than 30 minutes.
Alarmingly, 9.6% of Nigerians believe they are at risk of falling victim to crime within the next year, with rural residents expressing greater fear (13%) compared to urban dwellers (7%). Satisfaction with security responses remains low, particularly for rural-specific crimes such as **livestock theft (42.9%) and crop theft (42.4%).
The findings of the survey underscore the pressing need for a nationwide overhaul of security strategies. Policymakers, security agencies, and stakeholders are urged to leverage these insights to address systemic failures, rebuild public confidence, and align efforts with the Sustainable Development Goals aimed at ensuring public safety.
This report serves as a clarion call for urgent action to curb Nigeria’s spiraling crime rates and restore the trust of its citizens in law enforcement institutions.
