The Presidency has reacted to the Crime Experience and Security Perception Survey (CESPS) report released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on Wednesday, 18 December, which detailed the impact of insecurity in Nigeria.
According to the NBS report, approximately 614,937 Nigerians were killed in a year, based on surveys conducted between May 2023 and April 2024. It also revealed that 2,235,954 Nigerians were kidnapped nationally, with N2.23 trillion paid as ransom—an average of N2.7 million per incident.
Responding to the report, the Special Adviser to the President on Policy Communications, Barr. Daniel Bwala, stated that the CESPS initiative aims to promote data transparency.
Bwala emphasised the administration’s commitment to running a data-driven, inclusive socio-economic agenda. He described the CESPS as a groundbreaking concept designed to ensure public information is based on factual data rather than conjectures or assumptions.
He said: “Facts speak for themselves. The country has witnessed a drastic decline in incessant kidnappings in the South, armed banditry, and cattle rustling in the North, particularly in the North-West. The activities of the proscribed group from the South-East, Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), and its affiliate, the Eastern Security Network—otherwise known as ‘Unknown Gunmen’—have also significantly reduced.
“More importantly, the recent arrest of the Finland-based provocateur, Simon Ekpa, who had previously instigated violence in the South-East, has played a key role in improving security in the region.
“On the Northern front, there have been fewer school attacks this year compared to previous years, further affirming the administration’s commitment to combating crime.”
Meanwhile, the NBS website was hacked a day after the release of the crime and security report.
In a statement issued via its official X (formerly Twitter) handle, the bureau urged the public to disregard any information from the compromised website.
The statement read: “The NBS wishes to inform the public that its website has been compromised. Our team is actively working to resolve the issue and restore full functionality. We advise the public to disregard any messages or reports published on the website until further notice. Thank you for your understanding.”
