Increase in the Kidnapping crime in Nigeria

Under federal and state laws kidnapping is commonly define as the

taking away of a person from one place to another against his or her

will, or the confining of a person to a controlled space. Some

kidnapping laws require that the taking or confining be for an

unlawful purpose, such as extortion or the facilitation of a crime.

The purpose or motive behind kidnapping include a ransom or reward;

facilitating the commission of a felony or terrorising the victim or a

third person. A person who is convicted of kidnapping is usually

sentenced to prison for a certain number of years.
Nigeria is the most populated nation in the whole African continent

with diverse ethnic and religion. However, the rate of crime is quite

amazing and keeps on growing. In some years back the rich people enjoy

the freedom of movement. But know this opportunity become a memorable,

that is to say this richest personals are highly afraid to move from

one place to another without security officials as their body guard.

However, today the masses and wealthy individual both have testified

this evil act in one way or the other. Moreover, commercial drivers

who always transport goods from one place to another in the country

are been kidnap.
Kidnapping which started in the Niger Delta region as a huge joke few

years ago appears to have skyrocketed in recent times. Initially when

the abduction of the white oil workers by youths from the creeks of

the Niger Delta, some people hailed the boys, particularly opinion and

political leaders from the region, while the ugly incident raged,

other part of the country also viewed it as the exclusive problem of

the people of Niger Delta, The issue later graduated to the secondary

level such that some politicians began to use the boys to settle

political score.
From Bayelsa state where kidnapping became a battle for supremacy by

some renegade groups, it spread like wild fire. There are many causes

of kidnapping, among them are unemployment, poverty, religion,

political issues and many more. For example, Unemployment in Nigeria

has pushed citizens in to the abduction making them to have a huge

amount of money
It could be said that the initial idea of abduction white oil workers

and taking them to the creeks, was to draw the attention of the world

on the environmental evils perpetrated by the oil multinationals in

the creeks of the Niger Delta region. In the build up to the 2007

general elections, as usual it became a dig dung affair. Political

parties and their candidates in a win at all cost syndrome, fought to

outwit each other and in the process all tactics were employed

including kidnapping of political opponents and their dependents.

Innocent mothers, fathers of political enemies were abducted. it was

at this juncture that the whole exercise took a different dimension.

Because the boys were recruited with cash to execute the job, they

also demanded for cash to release their victims. After the general

election some highly placed criminals entered the scene. In ,order to

make money from certain politicians, the organised a raid using the

boys after which several millions were demand to effect the release of

their victim, at the end of the day proceeds were charge equally

gradually kidnapping became a trade, a flourishing one for that

matter.
The abduction of chibok girls in Borno state in 2014 by Boko Haram has

drawn the attention of international bodies. The high rate of

kidnapping is said to be on the increase in the country there for

international bodies such as Human Right Watch, Amnesty International

among others should step up in their campaign against human right.

The government on its part should try as much as possible provide

employment and standard education as well as improving the

agricultural sector. Private companies should also contribute to their

own quoter.
-SHUAIBU MUHAMMAD SHAMAKI a 300 level student of Mass Communication

University of Maiduguri