The Growing Spate Of Kidnappings And How To Curb It
SAN FRANCISCO, April 07, (THEWILL) – The spate of kidnappings in Nigeria have assumed a worrisome dimension. The hydra-headed monster gained prominence with the activities of Niger Delta militant groups, in the late 1990s.
The groups had taken to the kidnapping of expatriates, oil workers and high profile personalities, in protest against the pollution and degradation in lands and waters in the oil-rich region of Southern Nigeria.
But the trend has over the years changed drastically as the menace has spread to every part of the nation and is targeted not only at expatriates and wealthy people. Today, any body, including students and children, considered worthy of attracting a ransom (no matter how meager) from their families is a potential victim.
In 2013, the U.S. Department of State listed Nigeria as having the highest rates of kidnappings in the world. It again led in cases involving “kidnap for ransom” in the first quarter of 2014.
Also, the Overseas Security Advisory Council, OSAC ranked Nigeria among the top 10 countries in the world with over 1000 kidnap cases reported annually. Relatively, this makes the country 6th worst country in the world, coming behind Philippines, Venezuela, Columbia and Mexico.
Unfortunately, despite the hues and cries against this heinous crime, it has grown in leaps and bounds. Of great concern is that all shady characters now exploit it as the simplest way of making quick money.
The case of a former Secretary to the Federal Government, Chief Olu Falae, who was kidnapped for ransom in his farm in Ondo State, by alleged Fulani herdsmen comes readily to mind. Strangely too, some now do it for ritual purposes or terrorism-related activities.
Under the circumstance, not all victims live to narrate their ordeals. Many have been killed by their abductors, yet, others are neither killed nor released, but have remained perpetually missing.
THEWILL calls on the Federal Government to declare emergency on the issue of kidnapping. The State and National Assemblies must collaborate to formulate laws that would prescribe capital punishment for kidnappers. It is unacceptable that only a few states in the South-south zone have prescribed harsh punishment for kidnappers.
THEWILL also call for the setting up of a special tribunal to try kidnap cases and other related crimes. Criminal gangs involved in kidnappings are probably no longer afraid of prosecution, as their trials often seem to go on indefinitely, with only a few getting convictions.
The police seem to have been overwhelmed in this task. This underscores the need to increase the numerical strength of the police within the next decade, until the number is able to meet growing security challenges. This is not without giving them special training to counter the sophistication and intelligence of these high-profile kidnappers.
THEWILL is worried that these kidnappers get away with their deeds, despite the availability of modern intelligence tools to track them down. We task the GSM service providers and the Ministry of Communications as well as that of Science and Technology to brace up to this challenge. Kidnappers usually use phones and the internet to contact families of victims for ransom.
It is apparent that the network providers are failing in their duties, so much so that some of them failed to register subscribers as directed by the Nigeria Communications Commission, NCC. The regulatory body must indeed ensure that this doesn’t happen again.
Commercial banks in the country also have a role to play in helping security agencies bust kidnappers and kidnap rings as their transactions in their accounts are usually suspect. They must be made to assist by availing security operatives with highly needed intelligence.
In the final analyses, THEWILL calls on governments at all levels to take urgent and drastic measures to tackle the high rate of unemployment in the nation so that unemployed persons don't get lured into crimes.