•It’s not enough to draw a link between kidnap ransoms and terrorism, but to curb the trend

Terrorism in the three zones of Nigeria’s northern region is at the heart of the threat to national security. This apparently informed the disclosure by Coordinator of the National Counterterrorism Centre in the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) that a nexus has been established between kidnapping for ransom and festering insecurity in the land, especially in Zamfara, Niger, and Katsina states as well as parts of Kaduna. That disclosure is expected to aid security forces in combating the crime and support the Federal Government in its food security drive.

The resurgence of kidnapping in the northern region has raised fears that not much might have changed, and that life could remain brutish and short for a while, with people forced to live as if they were in the Hobbesian state of nature.

Under the previous administration, orders were issued many times that criminals be rooted out, equipment were procured for the armed forces and recruitments made; but all these have not re-written the narrative of insurgency activities. What Nigerians want now are no excuses for failure to achieve the goal. The security service chiefs have a duty to prove that they are fit for purpose. Even in the Northeast, there have been fresh rumblings, especially in areas of Borno State where soldiers have been ambushed and some killed of late.

If proceeds of kidnapping have now been officially confirmed as oxygen for terrorism and other violent crimes in the northern part of the country, the National Security Adviser has a duty to come up with strategies and tactics to cut off this oxygen as soon as possible.

It is gratifying that President Bola Tinubu has highlighted the international connection in the growing phenomenon as arms are procured through the Sahel region, while foreign terrorist groups like Al-Queda and Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) have been identified on the battle field. Funding is, therefore, not sourced through kidnapping alone but also channelled through this network. The President’s first participation at the United Nations General Assembly meeting, and bilateral discussions on the sidelines pointed in the direction of seeking international cooperation to wiping out the scourge.

It is painful that 11 prospective members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) being commuted to the orientation camp in Sokoto from Akwa Ibom State were kidnapped on August 21. In the aftermath, three escaped and one got rescued. It is unfortunate that lives of young persons about to be enrolled into a mandatory national service could be so toyed with. Realising that they were posted to a hazardous territory, what plans were made for their safety by the NYSC management, and probably the Akwa Ibom State government? Couldn’t they have travelled by air, even if that would warrant their being given special rebate? And if that was considered too expensive, couldn’t they have been accompanied by armed security men?

It is time to comprehensively review the NYSC model. Areas that are unsafe should be avoided when posting fresh graduates. The anguish of parents of the kidnapped young persons is best imagined. Worse still, the NYSC has been quite stingy with providing information and showing empathy. For days, NYSC Director-General, Brigadier-General Yaminu Musa, failed to speak on the sad occurrence, and neither did he visit affected families. It was even suggested that some in the NYSC management team gave the impression that the abducted graduates were not yet under their oversight as they were on the way to the orientation camp. This is an untenable notion because the lads were already in possession of their call-up letter, which served as the Corp’s formal invitation to them.

Fifty years after the establishment of the scheme, there is need to evaluate its contribution to nation-building vis-à-vis hazards posed to innocent youngsters who may be venturing to the area of their service posting for the first time ever. For now, states in throes of critical insecurity should be excused from the scheme. Leaders of tomorrow should not be exposed to avoidable danger.

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