No fewer than six teenage girls, aged 15 to 17, were reportedly kidnapped by armed terrorists during a house-to-house raid in Pandogari Community, Rafi Local Government Area of Niger State last Wednesday.
The attack which was said to have occurred about midnight when the insurgents stormed the community – left a local vigilante named Aliyu Aminu dead before the girls were abducted.
Credible reports have it that the heavily armed terrorists infiltrated the kidnapped village in large numbers, entering from the Birnin Gwari axis through Mamman Kontagora Technical College, Pandogari.
Sources indicated that the abducted girls were later taken to Kwangel Forest which marks the third attack on the community within a week.
Commenting on the incident, locals expressed dismay in the surge of kidnappings on their area – despite the negotiations between the Kaduna State Government and some armed groups terrorising the state.
One too many. Or how else could anyone best describe the incessant cases of abductions of hapless citizens of Nigeria – especially at sub-national levels?
Since 2009 when the Nigerian government got involved in the war of terrorism with militant Islamist and jihadist rebel groups, it is pertinent to examine how successful the fight against armed rebellion culminating in kidnappings and related crimes have been.
For the records, it is held that between July 2022 and June 2023, 3,620 people were abducted in 582 kidnapping cases in the nation. About N5 billion ($3,878,390) was said to have been paid in ransoms. In 2024 alone, SBM Intelligence had it that there were about 68 mass abductions in the first quarter of the year.
Various armed groups have been linked to kidnappings of hundreds if not thousands of people across the nooks and crannies of Nigeria. These are indicative of the country’s spiralling security crisis.
From the north-east to north-west, north-central to south-east, south-west to south- south geo-political zones of Nigeria, abductions have continued to reign supreme almost unabatedly. Men, women, students, children including IDPs, have constituted victims.
Although security agencies once declared these insurgents especially Boko Haram terrorists as partially degraded, it remains to be seen if that assertion holds water. This is because the atrocities of these criminal gangs are recorded almost on a daily basis – garnering both national and international attention.
Towards arresting the hydra-headed monster of kidnappings for ransom in Nigeria, therefore, we make bold to chart the way forward – in addition to existing measures.
Just as addressing socio-economic challenges to reduce vulnerabilities is important, the federal government must seek international collaboration in tackling this cankerworm.
What is the security status of our borders? Do we have enhanced control to check entry of illegal aliens? That is a trillion Naira question the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration must answer.
Strengthening the capabilities and welfare of the various law enforcement agencies at this critical moment cannot be overstressed. This is as they would do well to also synergize with one another in the sharing of vital intelligence.
How effective is community engagement of locals in the fight against banditry? This is to be interrogated with a view to ensuring the cooperation of all and sundry in security matters.
As a matter of urgency, we should be investing in artificial intelligence (AI) and other forms of technology for surveillance and tracking of criminal elements.
