Kidnapping Becomes Nigeria’s Most-Reported Crime Under Tinubu Administration

Kidnapping for ransom has emerged as the most-reported crime in Nigeria since President Bola Ahmed Tinubu took office, according to recent data.

StatiSense, a data analytics firm, shared these findings on Thursday, citing 2023 data from Nigeria’s Ministry of Police Affairs. The report revealed that kidnapping incidents have surpassed other crimes such as murder, banditry, terrorism, and armed robbery in terms of frequency.

A zonal breakdown of the data shows that kidnapping is the leading crime in five out of Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones. The North Central region reported 38.51% of its crime cases as kidnappings, the North East 42.11%, the North West 49.71%, the South East 30.61%, and the South-South 36.73%. The South West was the only exception, where murder cases were more prevalent, accounting for 29.87% of reported crimes.

These findings highlight the ongoing security challenges in Nigeria, despite President Tinubu’s pledges to combat the issue.

Recent events underscore the severity of the situation. In the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), bandits attacked the Ushafa community, killing a man identified as Mr. Felix Chuks and abducting his entire family. Additionally, 20 medical students were kidnapped in Benue State last week, though they have since been released. In another troubling incident, 287 pupils were kidnapped from a government secondary school in Kuriga, Kaduna State.

As kidnappings continue to dominate crime reports, the demand for effective security measures in Nigeria has never been more urgent.