Hackers have breached the website of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), rendering it temporarily inaccessible. As of Wednesday evening, visitors to the official site — www.nigerianstat.gov.ng — were met with a message reading, “Page hacked” on a blank white background.

The NBS confirmed the cyberattack in a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter), urging the public to disregard any content appearing on the website until it is fully restored.

“We wish to inform the public that the NBS Website has been hacked, and we are actively working to recover it. Please disregard any messages or reports posted until the website is back online,” the statement said.

The breach occurred just 24 hours after the NBS published its latest report on crime experience and security perception in Nigeria. The report revealed troubling statistics, including that Nigerians paid a staggering N2.23 trillion in ransom over a one-year period between May 2023 and April 2024.

The survey indicated that approximately 51.89 million crime incidents were recorded across Nigerian households in that time frame, with the north-western region facing the highest incidence, at more than 14 million cases. The south-east recorded the fewest incidents, with just over six million cases. Additionally, the report highlighted that rural areas (26.5 million incidents) experienced a higher crime rate than urban areas (25.4 million incidents).