The Department of State Services (DSS) questioned Statistician-General, Adeniran Adeyemi, over a report claiming that Nigerians paid ₦2.23 trillion in ransoms.
While some reports suggested his arrest, sources confirmed that he was released after questioning.
Meanwhile, the National Bureau of Statistics is working to resolve a website hack.
The Department of State Services (DSS) invited the Statistician-General of the Federation, Adeniran Adeyemi, for questioning after the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) released a controversial report on ransom payments in Nigeria.
The Crime Experience and Security Perception Survey, published on Tuesday, revealed that Nigerians paid a staggering ₦2.23 trillion in ransom to kidnappers between May 2023 and April 2024.
Furthermore, the report stated that 65% of households affected by kidnappings paid ransoms, with an average payment of ₦2.67 million per incident.
The findings, which included an estimated 51.89 million crime incidents across Nigerian households, sparked both national and international concern.
Notably, the North-West region recorded the highest incidence of crime, with 14.4 million reported cases.
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Meanwhile, despite rumours of his arrest, sources at the Bureau clarified that the DSS invited Adeyemi for questioning, and he honoured the invitation.
One source emphasised that “the claims of arrest are false”.
Additionally, the day after the report’s release, the NBS reported that hackers had compromised its official website.
The Bureau issued a statement assuring the public that it was working to restore the site and advised people to disregard any information posted there until further notice.
As a result, the survey continues to fuel debate, prompting questions about the accuracy of its findings and the implications of such sensitive data in a country facing significant security challenges.
