NBS denies DSS invitation to statistician-general over ransom report

The development comes amid the release of a controversial report on ransom payments in Nigeria.


The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has issued a statement on Thursday, clarifying that the Department of State Services (DSS) did not invite Adeniran Adeyemi, the Statistician-General of the Federation, for questioning.

This clarification came after the NBS website was hacked, leading to the unauthorized release of a report on ransom payments in Nigeria.

On December 17, the NBS published its Crime Experience and Security Perception Survey, which revealed that Nigerians paid approximately N2.23 trillion in ransom between May 2023 and April 2024.

Following the report’s release, the NBS website was compromised, and rumors began circulating that the DSS had invited Adeyemi for questioning regarding the report’s methodology and data.

However, Ichedi Sunday, NBS Head of Communications, denied these claims, stating that Adeyemi never received an invitation from the DSS.

A statement from Sunday read: “I can authoritatively say the reports are not true. I was with the Statistician-General late last night when the news broke, and there was no call from the DSS.

“Several platforms reached out to me, and I told them the information was false.

“I also spoke to him [Adeyemi] today. So, this is not true. I don’t know why such incorrect information is still being circulated.”

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