Nigeria has one of the world’s highest rates of kidnap-for-ransom cases.
Nigeria is experiencing a wave of kidnappings.The current wave is different. It is nation-wide, rather than confined to a specific region. It appears to be purely mercenary; the goal is to extract the maximum ransom possible, in theirs new tactic, kidnappers target driver of the potential victim with gun fire and cart away with the occupants and this is mode of Operation is very rampant within Kogi state, just from July 3rd to 6th the road has witnessed many death as a result of kidnapping operation with two military also felt victim, this few weeks after lokoja popular business mohul Nicholas Ofordile, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of a popular Chucks supermarket located at the post office area in Lokoja, the Kogi state capital was killed on the same road .
Chuks, popular Kogi business man killed by kidnappers
Kidnapping victims now include the entire social spectrum, rather than being confined to those with some money or property. Nobody is exempt.
Though payment of ransom is illegal in Nigeria. However, the government itself pays ransoms in high-profile cases. So, too, do ordinary citizens. Because both kidnapping and ransom paying are illegal activities, there is little hard evidence about how many kidnappings are actually taking place. Indeed, the lack of transparency may lead to a popular exaggeration of the numbers. Nevertheless, Nigerians believe they are in the midst of a kidnapping wave and that the government is largely powerless to stop it. Fear of kidnapping appears to be a factor in middle-class emigration from Nigeria and the wealthy sending their families abroad but with this COVID-19 crisis, everybody is back home with closedown of flight before now both poor and rich are being forced to use roads.
Commercial Driver Killed by kidnappers along , Lokoja , Kotokarfe road the passengers take away into the forest by kidnappers
Policing in Nigeria is underfunded, and policemen by and large are undertrained. They are notorious for human rights abuses and have been widely accused of extra-judicial killing.
Kidnapping has remained the most virulent form of banditry in Nigeria. It has become the most pervasive and intractable violent crime in the country.
Thousands of Nigerians have been kidnapped for ransom and other purposes over the years. Kidnapping has prevailed in spite of measures put in place by the government. The Nigerian police’s anti-kidnapping squad, introduced in the 2000s, has endeavored to stem the menace. But this been to no avail, mainly due to a lack of manpower and poor logistics.
Onubi, Retired Navy Admiral’s Daughter, Driver Killed By Kidnappers In Kogi
As if that is not enough challenges there has been a report of some men of IRT squads indirectly involved in a case that has to do with a little element of politics, This obviously calls for an urgent review of Nigeria’s current anti-kidnapping approach to make it more effective.
With the circular from Nigerian Police Authority, the special police squads IRT has once again reminded of their sole mandate
Kidnapping has led to the loss of tens of thousands of lives and huge sums of money in Nigeria. Many of the victims of the crime have been killed in the course of their abduction, custody or release. Many more have been injured. This is in addition to huge amounts of money lost to ransom takers.
Nigeria should never have got here. Kidnappers persist because the benefits of their crimes exceed the costs. So the obvious solution is to raise the costs by imposing harsher, surer penalties. The present penalty for kidnapping ranges from one to 20 years in prison, with the possibility of life imprisonment for extreme cases involving, for instance, murder.
Capt GSM Abubakar killed by kidnappers along Lokoja way and his wife taken away. Yet to be found
Stricter measures, such as life imprisonment or the death penalty, may not be completely out of place in dealing with the kidnapping menace. After all, the crime of kidnapping is a maximum threat that requires an equally maximum deterrence.
Chuks, popular Kogi business man killed by kidnappers
A Naval officer in a pool of his own blood along lokoja-Oasara road This is coming six days after an army captain GSM Abubakar was also killed on the same road while his mother and wife were reportedly kidnapped.
The highway is becoming a nightmare for motorists as the armed robbers / kidnappers maim and kill innocent people at will without any challenge from any quarter.
The officers were traveling in a Toyota sienna bus when they were stopped and the gunmen who opened fire killing them on the spot.
With the new instructions from the police authority, it’s expected of many Nigerians to see IRT dedicated more time to Lokoja, Kotokarfe-Okene and Obajan Roads where kidnappers operate unchallenged.
Editorial Note from Observers Times
Desk