The Presidency has discountenanced the report of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) Crime Experience and Security Perception Survey (CESPS) on Wednesday, 18 December, which revealed the number of Nigerians lost to insecurity.
Refuting the survey report, Nigeria’s presidency said the country has witnessed a “drastic decline” in cases of kidnapping, armed banditry, and cattle rustling.
The NBS had said approximately 614,937 Nigerians were murdered in one year based on surveys conducted between May 2023 to April 2024.
The report disclosed that 2,235,954 Nigerians were also kidnapped nationally while N2.2tr was paid as ransom, an average amount of N2.7m per incident
However, the Special Adviser to the President on Policy Communications, Daniel Bwala in a statement said, that the CESPS was aimed at “Ensuring data transparency.”
Bwala who said the present administration was committed to running an all-inclusive data-driven socio-economic agenda, added that the CESPS is a novel concept that seeks to ensure that information rolled out to the public are data-driven and not on conjectures or mere assumptions.
He said, “Facts speak for itself. The country has witnessed a drastic decline in cases of incessant kidnapping in the South, armed banditry, and cattle rustling in the North, especially 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 largely reduced.
“More importantly, the recent arrest of the Finland-based agent provocateur, Simon Ekpa who had hitherto instigated endless onslaughts on people from the South East.
“On the Northern flank, Nigerians have seen fewer school attacks in the outgoing year, contrary to what was obtainable in recent years. This, no doubt, further lends credence to the fight against crime by the current administration.”
Meanwhile, the website of the National Bureau of Statistics became inaccessible a day after the release of the crime and statistics report.
A statement yesterday on the X handle of the bureau urged its users to disregard any report that emanated from there.
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.”
