As the abduction of citizens of various social statuses continues unabated across Nigeria, security agencies find themselves grappling with an escalating threat that seems to belittle their achievement, writes ISMAEEL UTHMAN

From schoolchildren to VIPs, no one is safe from the pervasive menace of kidnapping ravaging the entire length and breadth of the country. Despite efforts from security agencies, gunmen still loom large on the horizon, as Nigerians live in constant fear of the unknown.

Kidnapping has become one of the most pressing security concerns in Nigeria. The criminal enterprise touches every corner of the country.

Abduction for ransom was rare until the emergence of Niger Delta militants in the early 2000s. The militants engaged in various forms of criminal activities under the pretence of resisting environmental degradation and absence of basic social amenities in the oil-rich communities.

The militants targeted mostly expatriates and Nigerians in the oil business for abduction. Public analysts believed that activities of the Niger Delta militants were political tactics to compel the government to address issues affecting the region.

According to a report by an academic publisher, Scientific Research, the first major case of kidnapping in the Niger Delta happened in April 2002 when 10 workers of the Shell Petroleum Development Company were abducted by some youths from the Ekeremoh Local Government Area of Bayelsa State. But the criminal act subsided in the region after the amnesty granted to the Niger Delta militants in 2009.

However, the northeastern part of Nigeria took over the kidnapping act, with Boko Haram insurgents using it to execute their victims, demand ransom, extort families of victims, and in some cases, the government. The abduction of the Chibok girls on the night of April 14–15, 2014, remains unforgettable in the minds of many Nigerians.

No place is spared or too sacred, including schools, mosques, churches, highways, and homes. The crime has continued to stretch security agencies, especially the police, while Nigerians believe they have been overwhelmed.

No fewer than 17,469 Nigerians were abducted between 2019 and 2023, according to the Civil Society Joint Action Group in a January 2024 report. Findings by Saturday PUNCH also revealed that between January and July 2024, at least 2,140 people were reportedly kidnapped across 24 states.

Over the seven months, gunmen also kidnapped 193 people in January, 101 in February, 543 in March, 112 in April, 977 in May, 97 in June, and 117 in July, totaling 2,140. The most recent kidnap is the abduction of 20 medical students in Otukpo, Benue State.

They were abducted on August 16, 2024, while going to the annual convention of the Federation of Catholic Medical and Dental Students in Enugu. The students have yet to be released as of the time of filing this report.

Some Nigerians thought that the arrest and incarceration of the billionaire kidnapper, Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike, popularly known as Evans, would reduce kidnapping in the country but that has not been the case. Evans was arrested at his residence at No. 3, Fred Shogboyede Street, Magodo, Lagos, on June 10, 2017.

He and his accomplices were sentenced to life imprisonment on February 25, 2022, by Justice Hakeem Oshodi of a Lagos State High Court. Evans was again, on September 19, 2022, sentenced to 21 years imprisonment by Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo of the Ikeja Special Offences Court for kidnapping one Sylvanus Hafia.

Many Nigerians, according to a report by a research and analytics organisation, NIOPolls, say the government is not doing enough to address kidnapping. In the report published on February 15, 2024, the organisation said six out of 10 Nigerians stated that the “ authorities are not doing enough to curb kidnapping”.

The kidnappers have been making and receiving calls and collecting ransoms in cash at designated locations. There were cases where the kidnappers’ demanded foodstuffs, motorcycles, and other tangible materials as ransoms.

Many Nigerians believe that security agents should be able to track the kidnappers through telecommunications networks. Concerned citizens, who frowned on the display of strength by security forces during attacks on #EndBadGovernance protesters, maintained that the kidnappers had always left clues and actionable information for the security agents to act on.

Probing why kidnapping has continued to rise, findings by Saturday PUNCH show that the root causes are multidimensional. Security experts say the two main causes of kidnapping are poverty and unemployment, adding that it is prevalent due to the failed criminal justice system, the proliferation of small arms and light weapons, weak security institutions, and a lack of political will.

The Chief Executive Officer of Beacon Security and Intelligence Limited, Kabir Adamu, said environmental factors such as the presence of ungoverned spaces, the collapse of the value system, and the failure of the criminal justice system to arrest and punish offenders were key contributors. He stated that the government must show political will and address socio-economic issues such as unemployment and poverty to stop kidnapping.

He noted, “The government’s response has been haphazard. The Terrorism Prevention Act says no payment of ransom, but there is enough evidence to show that some top government officials negotiate and pay these criminals. Kidnapping has three elements: the kidnappers’ will, the protection around the victims, and the ransom.

“In all three, the government’s approach does not sufficiently address the core issues. The police and other security ministries, departments, and agencies are not held accountable by the Presidency and the National Assembly. The consequence management by the incumbent and previous administrations is weak.”

Asked why the kidnappers have been making calls and receiving ransom without being caught, Adamu disclosed that the police had not been tactical in their approaches.

In his opinion, a former Director of the Department of State Services, Mike Ejiofor, believes that increased security patrols by the police will go a long way in reducing the activities of kidnappers, stating that the random nature of their operations made it difficult to crush them.

Speaking with Saturday PUNCH, Ejiofor said kidnapping had become a business in Nigeria, describing it as the criminals’ quickest way to make money. According to him, the kidnappers have also engaged in diversionary tactics to frustrate the efforts of security operatives.

“A lot of people have resorted to kidnapping to make money. It is now alarming, and you can see that they are not just engaging in random kidnapping as they used to. Some dignitaries are now targeted, and that’s not good for us.

“If the police had enough manpower, they should focus more on patrols, because the criminals already know where the checkpoints are, and they avoid them. So, it becomes very difficult for the security agencies to curtail their activities,” Ejiofor stated.

Analysing the intricacies of kidnapping in the country, the Director General of the International Institute of Professional Security, Tony Ofoyetan, declared that the Nigerian government had not shown the political will to stem the tide of kidnapping in the country.

Ofoyetan said abduction was thriving because it involved the connivance of some security agents, banking officials, and personnel of communications agencies. He described kidnapping as a syndicated business involving different categories of people, noting that the security agencies also lacked the culture of following through in the pursuit of the crime.

“The security agencies have been unable to stem the tide of kidnapping because it is a big, syndicated business that has different categories of people as participating criminals. Telecommunications personnel are involved, and some bankers are also not exonerated. Greedy security officers are not exempted either, and you have the actual perpetrators of all these crimes.

“It has also been easier for kidnappers to get away with their loot and other things in the act of kidnapping because the security agencies do not have the culture of following through in the pursuit of crime,” he stated.

Ofoyetan called on the government to be aggressive and pragmatic in addressing kidnapping by making use of telecommunications and the biodata of citizens to combat the menace. He lamented that the government had been reluctant to act decisively, saying it had the capacity and capability to track any phone, even without the battery in it, to pin down kidnappers.

The security expert explained that the hesitation of security agents in going all out against kidnappers might be due to concerns about collateral damage, which had been to the advantage of abductors.

Providing insight, Ofoyetan said, “Even if our security agents are going to launch operations, the kidnappers would have changed their location because there are moles who would have revealed the strategic approach of security agents to them. But it only takes the government’s strong political will to say enough is enough.

“There could be some level of collateral damage, but I can assure you that nobody wants to die. If the kidnappers realise that the government does not care about who they kidnap and is coming with full force, they will think twice. When the kidnappers know that they will not live to spend that money, kidnapping will reduce by at least 80%. No criminal wants to die.”

Ofoyetan called for a special operation to clear the forests and bushes that serve as hideouts for criminal activities across Nigeria. He also urged the government to identify and expose compromised security agents who collaborate with kidnappers, emphasising the need to make examples of them to deter others.

Meanwhile, attempts to reach the spokesperson for the Nigeria Police Force, Muyiwa Adejobi, for updates on police efforts to tackle kidnapping were unsuccessful, as calls were unanswered, while text and WhatsApp messages to his mobile phone were not replied.

However, in a previous interview with The PUNCH on June 28, Adejobi revealed that the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, had acquired new tactical equipment to confront the kidnapping scourge head-on.

On Monday, the IG also inaugurated no fewer than 169 officers of the newly established Special Intervention Squad to tackle banditry, kidnapping, and other crimes in the country. He explained that the SIS signified a significant advancement in police operational strategy, drawing from the best practices of globally successful law enforcement models.

Adejobi also highlighted that ransom payments had turned kidnapping into a lucrative enterprise. He explained that the police had been educating Nigerians on the dangers of making kidnapping profitable, noting that the payment of ransoms had emboldened criminals to continue their abductions.

According to Adejobi, kidnappers often manipulate the emotions of the victims’ families, warning them against contacting the police or other security agencies with threats of killing the captives. He urged Nigerians not to succumb to these tactics, insisting that the primary motive of kidnappers is financial gain.

“A kidnapper wants money. Any incident where the victim is killed is not about ransom or kidnapping,” Adejobi said. He called for broader investigations to understand the psychological aspects of these crimes, explaining, “Every kidnapper demands ransom because it’s a business. We don’t want people to play into the hands of these kidnappers.” (Saturday PUNCH)

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