Nigerians Paid Over N2.2 Trillion in Ransom Within a Year – NBS Report

Nigerians paid over N2.23 trillion as ransom for kidnapping incidents between May 2023 and April 2024, according to a recent report by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). The bureau’s crime experience and security perception survey revealed that a staggering 51.89 million crime incidents were recorded across Nigerian households during the period.

The report identified the North-West region as having the highest number of crime incidents, with over 14 million cases recorded. In contrast, the South-East reported the lowest figures, with slightly over six million incidents. Crime rates were also higher in rural areas, where 26.5 million incidents were recorded, compared to 25.3 million in urban areas.

Among households affected by kidnapping, 65 percent admitted to paying a ransom. The average ransom paid was N2.67 million, contributing to a total of over N2.23 trillion paid by victims nationwide within the year.

The report also noted that 4.14 million households experienced home robberies during the period. However, only 36.3 percent of these cases were reported to the police. Many households chose not to report crimes due to a lack of confidence in law enforcement and the belief that police intervention would not lead to meaningful outcomes.

At an individual level, 21.4 percent of Nigerians reported being victims of crime, with phone theft being the most common, affecting 13.8 percent of the population. While about 90 percent of phone theft victims reported the incidents to the police, only half expressed satisfaction with the police response.