2.2 trillion naira ransom payment to kidnappers within one year na serious concern - expert

Di Nigeria Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on Tuesday publish dia 2024 Crime Experience and Security Perception Survey.

Di report show say approximately 2.2 trillion naira na im Nigerians pay to kidnappers as ransom money betwin May 2023 and April 2024.

Dat na about 1.41 billion US dollars or £1.16 billion pounds, and e pass di 1.64 trillion naira wey di goment budget for defence in 2024.

According to di survey, Northwest rank highest both for di prevalence of kidnapping and di actual number of kidnap incidents.

Out of di ova 2.2 million kidnapping incidents wey happun for di Nigeria during di period of di survey, more dan half - 1.42 million incidents - happen for di North West region.

Also, pipo for di region pay a total of 1.2 trillion naira as ransom payments to kidnappers, representing more dan half of di total ransom payments for Nigeria

Di North West region na wia bandits and herdsmen don dey hold sway in recent years, carrying out mass kidnappings, destroying pipo homes and farmlands, and committing murders.

In October, di Nigeria military announce say one new terrorist group wey im name na 'Lakurawa' don come up from di same North West region and dia base na Sokoto State.

Di North Central region, wey include Nigeria capital Abuja, recorded di second highest incidences of kidnap for di kontri, followed by di North East wey be di hotbed of Boko Haram.

Anoda interesting statistic for di survey be say more people dey kidnapped from dia home dan any oda place. Almost 70 percent of di total incidents of kidnapping happen when pip dey dia house or on dia street; while driving along di road either privately or for inside bus wit oda passengers, account for 24.2 percent of kidnappings.

Also, for di Southeast region rank third on di list of wia kidnapping dey prevalent, but record di least incidents of kidnapping wit 110,432 incidents, and more dan 85.4 billion naira wey pipo pay as ransom to kidnappers for dia.

Di struggle for secession by di Indigenous People of Biafra (Ipob) follow for wetin dey jerk up insecurity for di South East region.

Tins bicom even worse afta security operatives for Kenya bin arrest di leader of Ipob Nnamdi Kanu and send am bak to Nigeria for trial. Since den different armed groups don rise up for di region to demand Kanu's release.

Dia mode of operation include kidnapping, killing of security operatives, burning of goment buildings, and a brutal enforcement of di sit-at-home order wey dem put in place every Monday since June 2021 wen goment rearrest Nnamdi Kanu.

Dis recent Crime Experience and Security Perception Survey report dey come in spite of di many times wey President Bola Ahmed Tinubu don promise to improve di security situation in Nigeria.

During im speech for Nigeria Independence Day celebration on 1 October, wia di President even claim say im administration don kill di highest number of Boko haram and bandit commanders inside one year.

"Our target na to eliminate all di threats of Boko Haram, banditry, kidnapping for ransom, and all forms of violent extremism. Within one year, our goment don already eliminate Boko Haram and bandit commanders faster dan ever," e bin tok.

Methodology of dis survey

E dey important to point out say dis NBS report na a result of a perception survey, which mean to say di report na based on answers provided by di pipo wey di NBS field workers bin ask question.

Di number of households wey take part for dis survey na 12,281 across 1,020 enumeration areas for di 36 states of nigeria and di Federal Capital Territory.

A total of 375 field personnel and 37 state officers na im NBS train and deploy dem to collect di data wey dem take compile dis report.

Big setback - experts tok

Dr Auwal Abdullahi, wey be security expert, tok say dis report show how di power of criminals dey increase for a kontiri wey get law and order, and security apparatus wey dey work.

"No be small setback say kidnappers fit raise money pass di budget wey goment allocate for security to fight terrorism. Dis one show say real problem dey for di kontri," oga Abdullahi tok

"E show say now dem go strong pass before, and dem fit buy any weapon wey dem want wit di big money wey dem dey collect from pipo. Dis go still put di kontri for more danger."

Abdullahi add say di problem no be only national security matter, e don bicom ecconomy matter.

"Di way e easy for di bandits to collect dis ransom money show say dem don sabotage di kontri economy. E mean say dem get di financial power to scatter di peace wey di citizens get, and na big wahala be dat," e tok.

On weti goment fit do to improve seccurity and check criminality, Dr Abdullahi say asides from providing beta equipments for security pipo to take work, goment suppose to also chook eye into di welfare of di security pipo dem.

"Goment suppose dey take care of securities by giving dem beta salaries and allowances, and dem suppose make sure say dia families no go face wahala if anyting happun to dem wen dem dey fight insurgents."

"Dis go give di security pipo confidence say even if dem no dey alive again, dia families no go face wahala for life."