₦2.2tr paid as ransom in 12 months, Northwest led with ₦1.2tr — NBS

A report by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has revealed that about ₦2.2 trillion was received by kidnappers as ransom within one year.

The survey, which produced estimates at national and zonal levels covering both urban and rural areas for a 12-month reference period of May 2023 to April 2024, also disclosed that abductions are more prevalent in rural areas than in urban areas.

The NBS publication, titled Crime Experience and Security Perception Survey 2024, published on Tuesday, provides insights into various crimes perpetrated across the country and the geographical locations where these crimes are most concentrated.

It added that more than half of the households that experienced kidnapping paid ransoms to secure the release of their loved ones. The report noted that the average amount paid as ransom was ₦2.7 million per incident. The Northwest reported the highest ransom paid, totalling ₦1.2 trillion, while the Southeast recorded the least with ₦85.4 billion.

The NBS report said: “65.0 per cent of households that experienced kidnapping paid ransom. Overall, the estimated amount paid as ransom for kidnapping during the reference period was ₦2.2 trillion, with an average amount of ₦2.7 million per incident. The Northwest reported the highest ransom paid with ₦1.2 trillion, while the Southeast recorded the least with ₦85.4 billion.”

According to the survey, Nigeria recorded 2,235,954 incidents of kidnapping. Rural areas accounted for more than half of the total incidents, with 1,668,104 cases, while urban areas recorded 567,850 cases.

States in the Northwestern part of the country recorded the highest number of kidnapping incidents, while the Southeast reported the least.

“Kidnapping incidence was estimated at 2,235,954 nationally. The results show that rural areas (1,668,104) recorded more kidnappings than urban areas (567,850). Further analysis by zones revealed that the Northwest had the highest cases (1,420,307), followed by the North-Central (317,837), while the least was recorded in the Southeast (110,432),” it added.

Interestingly, households in urban areas that experienced kidnappings paid higher ransoms than those in rural areas.

“Households in urban areas paid an average of ₦3.7 million compared to ₦2.3 million in rural areas,” the NBS noted in the report.

A total of 1,416,856 households experienced kidnapping in Nigeria, and only 80.5 per cent of this population reported the incidents to the police.

Almost all the victims of abductions were kidnapped for ransom.

“About 91 per cent of kidnapping incidents were carried out for ransom in the form of money, goods, or other benefits. Also, 2.4 per cent of cases were attributed to political, criminal, or terrorist objectives, while 2.1 per cent were linked to personal or family disputes. Custody disputes accounted for 0.5 per cent of cases.”