• Tasks South-East political leaders on swift actions to combat kidnappings

The emerging statistical data that shows that at least 257 people were kidnapped in Nigeria's Southeast between July 2024 and June 2025, according to a new security report by SBM Intelligence, is a compelling reason for the President and the National Assembly to categorically amend the Counter-terrorism Act to classify kidnappers as terrorists even as the severest punishment of death by hanging should be prescribed.

Making the observation is the leading pro-democracy and civil rights advocacy group, the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), which expressed disappointment and consternation that the relevant civil authorities such as the President, the governors and the National Assembly members have failed to appreciate the enormity of the dastardly crimes of armed kidnappings for ransom payments apparently because a significant percentage of the security agents paid and maintained with taxpayers money are deployed to specially provide security services to these top public office holders.

"We hope the government is not waiting for one of the governors or a very prominent national legislator to be abducted by kidnappers before swift, comprehensive and effective steps are taken to combat kidnappings", HURIWA asserts.

It is therefore in the light of the emerging scientific and evidence-based proof that kidnappings have constituted some of the most potent threats to Nigeria's national security including the debilitating effects kidnappings have on the National economy that has made HURIWA to recalled that the high rate of kidnappings in the South-East as revealed by the study, represents 5.6 per cent of the national total of 4,722 abductions documented within the period.

The report by SBM Intelligence, titled "Locust Business – The Economics of Nigeria's Kidnap Industry: A 2025 Update", ranked Enugu as the state with the highest record of kidnapped persons, with 123 in total.

Anambra followed with 63 kidnapped cases; 42 in Imo, 2 in Ebonyi and 27 in Abia State within the period in view.

The report further stated that kidnappers in the Southeast demanded N1.005bn in ransom but only received N157.55m.

This accounted for 6.1 per cent of the N2.56bn collected nationwide.

While the North West remained the epicentre of abductions, the SBM said that the Southeast faced a different trend.

According to the report, "The Southeast and South-South face targeted religious abductions and financial extortion", with clergy and professionals among the most affected. HURIWA further highlighted the shocking report by the International Society For Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (InterSociety) that 19,100 Churches in Nigeria in the last 16 years have been destroyed by terrorists just as HURIWA said there is a nexus between terrorism and kidnappings going by the abductions and killings of Christian clerics by terrorists as indicated in the aforementioned report.

HURIWA, which condemned the abduction of Reverend. Fr. Wilfred Ezemba of St Paul Parish, Agaliga-Efabo in Olamaboro Local Government of Kogi State by kidnappers, noted that the President as the head of the executive arm of government at the centre, and the governors who head the executive branch of government at the sub-national, together with the legislators at the National Assembly, must now step up the strategy against kidnappings which have become cancerous across the nation and to overhaul the legislative and enforcement mechanisms to combat kidnappings in a record time.

The abduction last weekend of the Rev Father has reportedly thrown the entire Catholic family in the local government into confusion just as another Reverend Father who spoke with the media about the incident and the incidents of kidnappings in Kogi state Reverend Father Michael, also said as follows: “Our confusion is high because, since his abduction three days ago, his abductors have not made any contact to demand ransom. But we are, however, confident that Almighty God will deliver him safely from the grip of the kidnappers. We believe strongly in the efficacy of our prayers; he will eventually regain his freedom.”

Relatedly, HURIWA in a media release endorsed by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko, regretted that terrorists who disguise as kidnappers are terrorizing South-East of Nigeria, the most prominent leader of the South-East governors forum who is the National head of the All Progressives Congress governors forum, Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo state, spends incredible amount of time in Abuja during which time he goes alongside few other governors to the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja to either welcome or wave goodbye at the president, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who has become a frequent globetrotter.

“We appeal to the Governors of South-East states and all elected, appointed political office holders, the leaders of the organized private sector in the South-East of Nigeria, civil society leaders, traditional and religious leaders in the South-East of Nigeria to convoke emergency meeting during which time the issue of the unprecedented insecurity in the South-East states are tabled and solutions suggested including collectively calling on the president to declare kidnappers as terrorists and the proposed immediate amendment to the counter terror law of Nigeria to reflect the changes just as kidnappings should be made a capital offences and governors must be willing to sign execution warrants in record time to eradicate kidnappers from the face of Nigeria as soon as practicable,” HURIWA affirmed conclusively.