BY SUNNY A. DAVID
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has revealed a staggering N2.2 trillion was paid in ransom across Nigeria between May 2023 and April 2024.
The figure, from the latest Crime Experience and Security Perception Survey, underscores the severity of the country’s ongoing insecurity crisis.
The report revealed that this amount was paid by households affected by kidnapping incidents, underscoring the growing threat posed by criminal activities in the country.
It showed that an estimated 51.89 million crime incidents were recorded across Nigerian households during the reference period.
The survey indicated that the North-West region had the highest number of incidents, with 14.4 million cases reported, followed by the North-Central region with 8.8 million incidents.
In contrast, the South-East region reported the fewest crimes, with 6.18 million incidents.
The findings from the survey also indicated 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.
The survey noted: “The average amount paid as ransom was N2,670,693, with an estimated total ransom of N2,231,772,563,507 paid during the reference period.”
This occurred amid the continued rise in insecurity across Nigeria.
