TAKING THE BATTLE TO KIDNAPPERS
Security agencies could do more to contain the menace
Even though there is a subsisting law in many states that prescribes death penalty for the crime, it has not deterred kidnappers from carrying out their nefarious activities. From security personnel to traditional rulers, school pupils and ordinary citizens, nobody is safe in the hands of these marauders. While reliable statistics may not be available, hundreds of victims (may be thousands) are currently held by kidnappers in many forest reserves and other places across the country. But with an increasing capacity by the federal government to tackle this menace, there is need for more collaboration with the states so that we can rid the country of these undesirable elements.
Last weekend, operatives of the Nasarawa State Police Command arrested a notorious kidnap kingpin, Mohammed Bammi (Zomo) of Yelwa village. According to the command’s spokesman, Ramhan Nansel, the suspect is responsible for multiple kidnappings and armed robberies across the Doma Local Government Area of the state and its environs. Two weeks ago, Nigerian authorities captured two top leaders of Ansaru, an Al-Qaeda-linked terror group accused of some of the country’s deadliest attacks and abductions of innocent people. Both Muhammad Usman and Mahmud al-Nigeri are now in detention awaiting trial. While we commend the efforts that led to their arrest, we hope that the authorities will not relent until they bring those who disturb the peace of the country to justice.
In recent years, kidnapping for ransom has assumed anarchic proportions. These unconscionable individuals have no regard for age, class or personality as what matters to them is the perceived ransom value of their victims. To compound the challenge, even families of senior police and military personnel (retired and serving) now pay ransom to kidnappers. In one of the most recent cases, military colleagues of a retired army General created a WhatsApp group to raise donations for ransom to the kidnappers.
When this whole madness started, the targets were rich businessmen, politicians, and other well-heeled professionals. But kidnappers have since come to the lower bracket. So prevalent is the crime that the African Insurance Organisation (AIO) once designated Nigeria as the global capital for kidnap for ransom, having overtaken countries like Colombia and Mexico that were hitherto front-runners. The crime has also become a thriving industry with a network of support staff. Medical doctors and other professionals are reportedly part of the kidnapping ring. Incessant kidnappings have also made subsistence agriculture difficult for rural dwellers with dire implications for their livelihoods.
From the North to the South, it is evident that what started in the creeks of the Niger Delta about two decades ago as protest for improved conditions in the oil prospecting areas has now turned into a lucrative industry for sundry criminal cartels. It is therefore a sad irony that Nigerians can no longer move around freely or even spend quality time with their family without the psychological fear of the dreaded kidnapper lurking around the corner. The effect of all this is that while citizens live in perpetual fear, investors take their businesses elsewhere. Either way, the country is the loser.
Due to the activities of kidnappers, a drive through many of the nation’s major roads is now a nightmare as many spots have become convenient operating centres for kidnappers who lay siege to unsuspecting motorists and other road users. A large country that depends mainly on road transportation for the movement of commodities and persons seems to have surrendered the sector to the tyranny of some. We commend the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu and his team for their renewed war against these criminal gangs. But they cannot do it alone. They need the support of all Nigerians.
