Crime and security rank at the top of the most important problems that Nigerians want the government to address, the latest Afrobarometer survey shows.
In growing numbers, citizens report feeling unsafe in their neighbourhoods and their homes.
Most respondents see abductions and kidnappings as a serious and increasing problem in the country, and a majority say the police are doing a poor job on this issue.
Key findings
- Crime and security (41%) outrank economic management (39%), unemployment (35%), and electricity (34%) at the top of the list of most important problems that Nigerians want their government to address (Figure 1).
- Majorities of Nigerians say they felt unsafe while walking in their neighbourhood (61%) and feared crime in their home (51%) at least once during the previous year. Both majorities have increased significantly since 2020 (Figure 2).
- Most Nigerians (84%) are concerned about abductions and kidnappings, including 65% who say they are a "very serious" problem (Figure 3).
- And three-fourths (74%) of citizens say the number of abductions or kidnappings of citizens in the country has increased over the past year (Figure 4).
- Meanwhile, almost six in 10 Nigerians (58%) rate the handling of kidnappings and abductions by the police as "fairly bad" or "very bad" (Figure 5).
