KIDNAPPERS ON THE LOOSE

Government and other stakeholders should do more to curb the increasing menace

Kidnapping for ransom has assumed anarchic proportions in Nigeria. Hardly a day passes without chilling reports of abductions, sometimes of a whole family. But no recent case is as pathetic as that of the wife of Dr Philip Ataga who was killed after seven days in captivity. The murderous criminals are still holding the two children of the family and are making a demand of N20 million for their release. Unfortunately, the security agencies do not appear to have any solution to this increasing and ever-present menace. If anything, kidnapping for ransom has become another serious threat to peace and security in the nation.

It is indeed a sad irony that Nigerians can no longer move around freely or even spend quality time with their family without the psychological apprehension of the dreaded kidnapper lurking around the corner. The concomitant effect of all this is that while citizens live in perpetual fear, investors take their businesses elsewhere. Either way, the country is the loser. The government therefore must get more serious and demonstrate the capacity to deal with this menace. For when security of the citizenry is imperilled and put at the mercy of urban terrorists and miscreants, a government no doubt loses the peoples’ support.

With 13 Professors and 287 others kidnapped in Adamawa State alone in 2019, we can be looking at tens of thousands of victims across the country in recent years. “It is pertinent to mention that Zamfara State has the highest national kidnap rate with 281 victims in what has been directly linked to the activities of bandits in the state,” said Inspector-General of Police Mohammed Adamu. “This is followed by Kogi and Niger States where 65 and 51 persons, respectively were kidnapped within the period.” While we commend the efforts of the police, their anti-kidnapping unit as presently constituted cannot withstand the task of fighting the rising wave of the crime across the country. There is therefore an urgent need by the federal government to adequately equip and fund the unit.

The crime is not only well organised, but also a thriving industry with network of support staff. You now hear of medical doctors and other professionals being part of the kidnapping ring. In many of the cases reported in the media, the targets are rich businessmen, politicians, and other well-heeled professionals. However, kidnappers have also come to the lower bracket, perhaps out of desperation. In some cases, the criminals randomly stop vehicles on the road in the hope of finding someone worth kidnapping.

There is already a subsisting law in many states that prescribes death penalty for the crime of kidnapping. But that has not deterred the kidnappers from carrying out their nefarious activities. So prevalent is the crime that the African Insurance Organisation had since designated Nigeria as the global capital for kidnap for ransom, having overtaken countries like Colombia and Mexico that were hitherto front-runners.

It is recalled that long before colonial rule in Nigeria, kidnapping was a means of sourcing for slaves to be sold to foreigners. After the abolition of slave trade, kidnapping for rituals continued in many countries and regions in West Africa while fetish and animist beliefs have allowed such practices to thrive especially in Nigeria. But the main causes of recent kidnappings can be traced to youth unemployment, poverty, illiteracy and greed. While we believe that crime cannot be rationalised, it is also a fact that the increasing desperation by a growing young population that is not productively engaged is a serious issue we must deal with as we seek solution to the menace of kidnapping and other crimes in our country.