Kidnap cases have risen in the past few weeks with hundreds of cases being reported, while many are not even reported. ABDULRAHMAN ZAKARIYAU takes a look at the trend and fears that the end is not in sight.
Reported cases
In the last four weeks, hundreds of Nigerians are still being abducted for ransom and many have been killed because even after paying such ransom. From the data obtained by this reporter, there’s no state without a reported case of kidnapping, but it is higher in Kaduna, Zamfara, Katsina, Borno, Kogi, Nasarawa and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Regrettably, many of the kidnappers have killed their victims. The following are some of the case details that had been reported during the past weeks.
On November 14, 2020, it was reported that a lecturer and his two children were abducted by gunmen at the Nuhu Bamalli Polytechnic, Zaria, Kaduna state. The Rector of the Polytechnic, Kabir Abdullahi, who confirmed the incident, said the gunmen came into the institution around 9 pm.
“One of the lecturers was abducted along with two of his children. The lecturer is Bello Atiku, who is also the Head of Department of Computer Engineering of the school. Another staff of the school, Sanusi Hassan, was shot in the hand and narrowly escaped being taken away by the kidnappers,” he said.
The next day, on November 15, 2020, nine students of the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, were said to be in captivity following an attack on motorists along the Kaduna-Abuja road. Police sources said the vice-chancellor of ABU, Prof. Kabiru Bala, reported the abduction of the students to the Zaria Area Command of the police.
It was gathered that the 300 students, from the Department of French, were travelling on Sunday to Lagos for a programme at the Nigerian French Language Village (NFLV) when the bandits struck. The students were released after payment of ransom and supplying the kidnappers with milk, milk and others.
A day after bandits released nine abducted students of the French Department of the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, gunmen invaded the institution and kidnapped a lecturer. According to a statement by Auwalu Umar, the institution’s director of public affairs, the incident took place at Sardauna crescent on the main campus.
Zamfara
On October 30, 2020, suspected armed bandits on Friday night attacked Dankurmi Village in Maru local government area of Zamfara state, killing one person and kidnapping at least 15 others.
A source said, “Bandits again attacked our village last night and killed my father’s elder brother. They also kidnapped 15 persons and have started demanding ransom.”
On November 7, 2020, gunmen suspected to be bandits abducted 12 Assistant Superintendents of Police on their way to Zamfara from Borno state. According to BBC Hausa, the police officers were on their way to Zamfara to conduct a special operation when they were abducted by the gunmen.
Also, in Zamfara state, on November 20, 2020, suspected gunmen killed 5 worshippers and abducted an Imam in Juma’at mosque in Dutsen Gari community of Kanoma District of Maru local government area of Zamfara state.
According to an eyewitness, dozens of unidentified gunmen arrived at the village on motorbikes when the Imam was delivering the sermon and they opened fire on the congregants.
“There was a pandemonium as everyone was scampering for safety. They abducted the Imam and more than 30 others and dashed into the bush on motorbikes,” a resident said.
Kano
Kano is also not spared, as gunmen on Monday invaded the family house of the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Alhaji Sabo Nanono, in Tofai village, Gabasawa local government area of Kano state, and kidnapped his brother, Babawuro Tofai.
Also, Philip Shekwo, the chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Nasarawa state chapter, was kidnapped by gunmen and later found dead.
President’s home state
The home state of President Muhammadu Buhari is also not safe, as kidnapping is now on rampage in Katsina. The young, old, men and women have been kidnapped.
Others
Like in most North-west states and a few in the North-central, particularly Abuja the seat of power, is now a hot spot with kidnappers on rampage. No fewer than 15 people were on October 10, 2020, kidnapped by some gunmen in Kuje area council of the FCT, while coming from Kabi Mangoro community in the area council.
Aside from the Kuje incident, there have been many reported cases in Lugbe, Kubwa, Bwari, Kwali, Gwagwalada and the most recent in Pegi, where five children of a family were kidnapped around 10:30 pm on November 18, 2020. As at press time, the five children are still in captivity.
ACF’s fears
According to the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF),the security situation in the country, especially in the Northern parts, worsens on a daily basis.
In a communiqué signed by its national publicity secretary, Emmanuel Yawe, the Forum called on President Buhari to live up to the oath of office by addressing the myriad of security challenges in the country “before it is too late.”
The communiqué partly read, “This has become a source of worry to those who voted for a government that they thought will secure their lives and property as spelt out in the 1999 Constitution.
There have been serial killings of more people in the North by the bandits whom the minister of police claimed falsely have been defeated.”
‘Reason for spike’
A security expert, John Emmanuel, said kidnapping is on the increase across the country because of unemployment and poverty. In a phone chat with Blueprint Weekend, Emmanuel said any country with the majority of its labour force idle and poor will have many security challenges.
“There are so many reasons for the spate of kidnapping in Nigeria today. But the major reasons are unemployment and poverty.
Most of our youth are jobless; aside from the fact that no jobs, the government has consistently failed to provide the enabling environment for the youth to create jobs.
“No country will make meaningful progress with this rate of unemployment. A significant percentage of our population is unemployed; they are idle and live in poverty.
When someone is idle and poor, there is a probability that such a person will do everything, including kidnapping, to sustain themselves. This is the situation we have found ourselves in today.
“So, as long as the government fails to create an enabling environment for job opportunities, many youth will continue to be jobless and poor. Consequently, they will go into crime.
So, with unemployment and poverty, including the consequence of Covid-19 lockdown, #ENDSARS protest and the increase in prices of goods and commodities. There is a rate of probability; that the idle hands with criminal tendencies will go into kidnapping.”
An expert’s admonitions
A security risk management expert and managing director, Beacon Consulting Ltd., Dr. Kabir Adamu, said to end kidnapping, the nation’s criminal justice system should prosecute kidnappers and denied them access to ransom.
Dr. Adamu in a phone chat with this reporter noted that kidnapping is on the increase because we are not approaching the containment measure strategically.
He said: “The major way we are approaching it is through genetics, force, military and police. But there is a more important thing as a country that we need to do.
“Kidnapping is a criminal element; in criminology, it is considered a crime. Crime has three components. One of them is the opportunity to commit crime, what is the opportunity kidnappers have to commit kidnapping.
If you look at Abuja – Kaduna highway, despite the heavy presence of security personnel they come out and carry out the attack and a back to the bush they came from.
So, the opportunity they have is that ungoverned space. That for some reasons our security effort have been able to occupy despite the directive by Mr. President for that space to be occupied.
“The second issue under the crime triangle is the desire to commit the crime. And that is personal to an extent. Sometimes people turn criminal out of necessity be it that their livelihood has been taken from them, then they look at criminality.
The last one is the ability to commit the offence; one single factor is the weapon. If they want to commit the kidnapping crime, if they don’t have the weapon then it will be almost impossible for them.”
He said further, “To tackle the issue we need to look at all of these things. And criminology has also put up the solution.
The first solution is to increase the risk of detecting and arresting the crime when it occurs. In other words, let the offender know that if he commits the crime, he is going to be arrested and prosecuted. So, that takes us to our criminal justice system which is failing to arrest and prosecute offenders.
“Unfortunately, clearly our criminal justice system is not punishing offenders. That means the risk of punishing offenders or kidnappers is low. The offenders kind of get away with the crime. So, that deterrent element is completely missing.
“The second point is that we need to increase the effort the offenders need to deploy to commit the crime. I talked about ungoverned spaces, we need to dominate those ungoverned spaces, and we need to also make sure that the weapons in their hands are taken away.
ECOWAS recommended almost 12 years ago, that all its member countries should have a commission of demobilisation of weapons in circulation; Nigeria is yet to have that commission. So, we need to so that their efforts to commit a crime will be very difficult so that they will not be encouraged to commit the crime.
“The last one is that the benefits of the crime must be taken away from them. What is the benefit in this instance is ransom. Almost all the kidnap cases are for ransom.
So, how do we stop them from enjoying the ransom money? We are implementing the cashless policy only in theory. So, at what point will we start implementing the policy so that we can trace the money through technology.
There are several types of technology so that anyone who comes in contact with ransom money will be arrested. In today’s world it’s not difficult. Once we deny them access from using the kidnapping ransom, believe me all these will come to an end.
“Also, there are 27 agencies, departments and ministries that are involved in security; so, they need to work in synergy so that offenders are punished.”
