This week, we paused our #30DayMapChallenge contributions to address a crisis demanding urgent attention: the escalating wave of kidnappings across Nigeria.
In the past week alone, over 300 students and teachers were abducted from St. Mary’s Catholic School in Niger State—one of the largest school kidnappings since Chibok in 2014. Days earlier, 25 girls were taken from a secondary school in Kebbi State.
KEY FINDINGS:
- National ratio: 1:639 — 42% above the UN benchmark of 1:450
- Zone 1 (Jigawa, Kano, Katsina): Worst ratio at 1:2,012 — 4.5× the UN benchmark
- Zone 10 (Kebbi, Sokoto, Zamfara): Lowest officer count (12,070) covering the banditry epicenter
- Zone 2 (Lagos, Ogun): 67,757 officers — highest concentration nationally, ratio 1:377
- ~156,000 additional officers needed to meet the UN benchmark nationally
Reading time: 4 minutes | Interactive map included | Data sources cited
The Scale of the Crisis
According to SBM Intelligence, 4,722 people were abducted between July 2024 and June 2025, with ₦2.57 billion paid in ransom. This is no longer a crisis—it’s an industry.
The structural problem: Nigeria’s policing remains centrally controlled even as security challenges are deeply local. Despite northern Nigeria’s vast territory and escalating insecurity, over 49% of police officers are stationed in the south.
Data Sources: Media Nigeria (Police Zone Distribution), GRID3 Population Estimates, UK Home Office (Aug 2024), Nigeria Police Force (Contacts)
Data Vintage: Police zone distribution from November 2018 (most recent publicly available); population from GRID3 satellite-derived estimates (aggregated from ~100m raster cells)
Note: State-level officer counts are estimated from zone-level data. See methodology notes below.
The Map: Police Presence Across Nigeria
Each state’s ratio is benchmarked against the UN standard of 1 officer per 450 residents:
Click any state for detailed statistics including State and Zone PRO contacts (phone numbers are clickable). Darker colors = worse ratios. States are colored by quintile (green = best 20%, dark teal = worst 20%).
Emergency: 112 (national) or 199 (police direct) | Force PRO: CSP Benjamin Hundeyin
PRO contacts may change due to routine redeployments. Last verified: November 2025.
Police Zone Analysis
Nigeria’s police force is organized into 12 administrative zones. The table below shows officer distribution across these zones, ranked by ratio (worst to best):
| Zone | States | Officers | Pop. (GRID3) | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 1 | Jigawa, Kano, Katsina | 18,358 | 36.9M | 1:2,012 |
| Zone 12 | Bauchi, Borno, Yobe | 14,314 | 20.4M | 1:1,427 |
| Zone 4 | Benue, Nasarawa, Plateau | 16,363 | 18.4M | 1:1,127 |
| Zone 11 | Ondo, Osun, Oyo | 18,525 | 20.2M | 1:1,093 |
| Zone 8 | Kogi, Kwara, Ekiti | 12,320 | 12.2M | 1:992 |
| Zone 10 | Kebbi, Sokoto, Zamfara | 12,070 | 12.0M | 1:990 |
| Zone 3 | Adamawa, Gombe, Taraba | 16,900 | 15.0M | 1:885 |
| Zone 5 | Bayelsa, Edo, Delta | 22,221 | 16.9M | 1:759 |
| Zone 7 | FCT, Niger, Kaduna | 34,515 | 22.3M | 1:645 |
| Zone 6 | Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Rivers, Ebonyi | 35,141 | 16.3M | 1:463 |
| Zone 9 | Enugu, Anambra, Imo, Abia | 49,791 | 21.4M | 1:430 |
| Zone 2 | Lagos, Ogun | 67,757 | 25.5M | 1:377 |
Population from GRID3 satellite-derived estimates (v3.0).
The Zone 10 Paradox
The banditry epicenter has the weakest police presence. Zone 10 (Kebbi, Sokoto, Zamfara) has only 12,070 officers—the lowest of any zone. Zamfara alone accounts for 25.4% of all abduction victims nationally, with an estimated 30,000+ bandits operating from over 100 camps.
Critical Statistics
Calls for Reform
The House of Representatives convened a special session on national security this week. Key proposals:
- House Bill 617: Move “Police” from Exclusive to Concurrent Legislative List
- State Police: South-West Governors Forum calls for state-level forces
- Recruitment: IGP Egbetokun seeks 190,000 additional officers
Data Limitations
- Population source: GRID3 satellite-derived estimates (building footprint detection), not census
- Police data: Zone-level counts from Media Nigeria (November 2018)
- State estimates: Officers distributed from zone totals proportionally by population
Citation: Police zonal distribution from Media Nigeria (November 2018); population from GRID3 NGA Population v3.0 (satellite-derived); national strength (~371,800) corroborated by UK Home Office (2024).
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