With kidnappings and bandit attacks constantly threatening communities across Nigeria, residents are increasingly being compelled to take proactive steps to safeguard themselves and their neighbourhoods.
Criminal gangs often exploit weak community vigilance, poor information sharing, and isolated environments to carry out their operations.
The security crisis has evolved from a localised insurgency in the North-East into a nationwide challenge marked by terrorism, banditry, mass abductions, and communal violence.
Over the years, thousands of lives have been lost, while millions of Nigerians have been affected directly or indirectly.
In December 2024, the National Bureau of Statistics, through its Crime Experience and Security Perception Survey, disclosed that an estimated 2,235,954 Nigerians were kidnapped between May 2023 and April 2024.
