The report release Tuesday by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) to the effect that Nigerians paid N2.23 trillion as ransom within one year is worrisome. The revelation should serve as a wake up call on the nation’s security apparatchik to restrategise on ending the seemingly intractable insecurity ravaging the country.
This whopping sum was paid between May 2023 and April 2024 by households affected by kidnapping incidents, highlighting the growing threat posed by criminal activities in the country. The NBS’s latest Crime Experience and Security Perception Survey report indicated that an estimated 51.89 million crime incidents were recorded across Nigerian households during the reference period.
The survey showed that the North-west zone had the highest incidence of crime, with 14.4 million cases reported, followed by the North-central with 8.8 million incidents. In contrast, the South-east zone reported the least crime, with 6.18 million incidents.
The findings also revealed that rural areas were more affected by crime than urban areas, with 26.53 million crime incidents in rural households compared to 25.36 million in urban areas. The report highlighted the severity of kidnapping, with 4.14 million households experiencing home robbery.
Of those affected by kidnappings, 65 per cent were forced to pay ransom to secure the release of victims. The average ransom paid was N2.67 million, contributing to the total of N2.23 trillion paid by Nigerians to criminals during the 12 months under review. Despite this, only 36.3 per cent of those who experienced home robbery reported the incidents to the police, with a similarly low reporting rate for kidnapping.
According to the report: “Nationally, an estimated 51,887,032 crime incidences were experienced by households. The North-west (14,402,254) reported the highest incidences of crime at the household level, followed by the North-central (8,771,400), while the South-east (6,176,031) reported the least. The result also shows that the crime incidence in the rural area (26,526,069) was higher than that of the urban area (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 experience to the police. Among households that experienced kidnapping incidents, 65.0 per cent paid a ransom.
“The average amount paid as ransom was N2, 670,693, with an estimated total ransom of N2, 231,772,563,507 paid within the reference period. Many victims cited a lack of confidence in law enforcement and a belief that police intervention would not lead to meaningful action as the main reasons for not reporting.”
The survey showed that 21.4 per cent of Nigerians fell victim to crime at the individual level, with phone theft being the most common crime, affecting 13.8 per cent of the population. While 90 per cent of phone theft victims reported the crimes to the police, only half of those victims were satisfied with the police response.
It estimated that 1.4 million Nigerians were victims of sexual offences, with most incidents occurring in someone else’s home or the victim’s residence. Only about 22.7 per cent of sexual offence victims reported the crimes to the police.
Despite the widespread nature of crime, public perception of safety remains low. The survey found that 9.6 per cent of Nigerians believed they were at risk of becoming victims of crime within the next 12 months. The fear of crime was higher in rural areas, where 13 per cent of the population felt vulnerable, compared to 7 per cent in urban areas.
The report questioned the effectiveness of Nigeria’s security agencies, particularly the police, in responding to emergencies. Only 33.1 per cent of Nigerians reported that security agencies responded to emergency calls within 30 minutes.
The survey revealed that approximately four out of 10 households interacted with state or local security forces during the survey period, with half of these households contacting the Nigeria Police.
However, satisfaction with police responses was notably low, especially in cases of livestock and crop theft, where only 42.9 per cent and 42.4 per cent of victims expressed satisfaction, respectively. In many rural areas, local vigilante groups were seen as a more reliable source of security.
The NBS report has, expectedly, drawn the ire of many a Nigerian, expressing concern over the wanton loss of lives, financial resources and economic setbacks occasioned by insecurity. There are also doubts on the breakthroughs reportedly recorded by the nation’s security forces against insurgents, bandits, kidnappers, armed robbers, and other criminal elements ravaging the country.
Blueprint is, therefore, of the view that the security forces have a duty to convince the vast majority of the populace, particularly those who parted with their hard-earned money in ransom payment, that their claims of having decimated the insurgents and killing some bandits’ kingpins are not mere media blitz.
The poor public perception of the police as being complicit in the perpetration of crime and criminality is also a disturbing phenomenon. The police hierarchy must act swiftly to clear this mess, which accounts for the high rate of unreported crime incidents across the country. The police must be seen and truly believed to be “your friend”.