Lagos, Abuja record highest crime rates in 2016

The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said that the FCT and Lagos State reported a total of 58,566 crime cases in 2016.

The NBS stated this in a report published on its website on Tuesday.

According to the bureau, the FCT and Lagos State reported highest crime cases while Katsina State and Abia had the lowest percentage share of total cases reported in 2016.

The bureau said that the FCT reported 13,181 crime cases while Lagos State reported 45, 385 crime cases.

The cases were in categories as offence against persons, offence against property, offence against lawful authority and offence against local Acts.

A breakdown of crime cases showed that FCT reported 2,984 cases of offence against persons, 9,350 cases against property, 843 cases lawful authority and only four cases against local Acts.

The report said offence against persons are those offences against human beings such as murder, manslaughter, infanticide, concealment of birth, rape and other physical abuse, etc.

Offences against properties were those offences against human belonging: Properties of any kind like stealing, receiving stolen properties, obtaining property by false pretence, robbery, burglary and house breaking.

Offences against lawful authority, this is any offence committed against any establishment of the law e.g. failure to pay tax to the appropriate authority.

It explained that Local Acts are those laws that we cannot enforce outside Nigeria – e.g. Liquor Act or Firearms Act.

Meanwhile, the bureau said that Lagos State reported 15, 426 cases of offence against persons; 22,885 cases of offence against property; 6, 768 cases of offence against lawful authority and 306 cases of offence against offence local Acts.

The bureau further stated that a total of 125,790 cases were reported from the 36 states in 2016.

It stated that offence against property had the highest number of cases reported with 65,397 of such cases.

The bureau said that offence against persons recorded 45,554 cases reported while offence against lawful authority and local Acts recorded the least with 12,144 and 2,695 cases recorded respectively.

It stated that Lagos State had the highest percentage share of total cases reported with 36.08 per cent and 45,385 cases recorded.

The bureau stated that FCT Abuja and Delta State followed closely with 10.48 per cent and 13,181 and 6.25 per cent and 7,867 cases recorded respectively.

It stated that Katsina State had the lowest percentage share of total cases reported with 0.10 per cent and 120 cases recorded.

The bureau stated that Abia and Zamfara followed closely with 0.29 per cent and 364 cases and 0.38 per cent and 483 cases recorded respectively.