The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has removed its recently published “Crime Experience and Security Perception Survey 2024” report from its official website. The report, initially released on December 17, 2024, highlighted concerning statistics regarding crime in Nigeria, particularly the high rates of kidnapping. It revealed that between May 2023 and April 2024, an estimated 2.2 million kidnapping incidents occurred, with Nigerians paying a staggering N2.23 trillion in ransom. Additionally, the report showed that 65% of households affected by kidnappings paid an average ransom of N2.67 million.
The report also provided broader crime data, noting that over 51 million crime incidents were reported by households across the country. The North-West region had the highest rate of reported crimes, while the South-East region saw the fewest. Furthermore, the survey indicated that rural areas experienced more crime incidents than urban areas, with home robberies affecting over 4 million households. However, less than half of these victims reported the crimes to the police.
After the release of the report, the NBS confirmed that its website was compromised in an attack, leading the agency to advise the public to disregard any information posted during that time. The website was later restored, but the crime survey report was found to be missing from the site when it came back online.