BEWARE OF KIDNAPPERS

President Goodluck Jonathan has been warned to 'watch his back' and be cautious of kidnappers who may want to hijack his presidential ambition.

National Prayer Movement, a religious group, gave this warning in a press release made available to Daily Sun and signed by its General Secretary, Oluwagbemiga Olakunle.

Following the recent kidnap and subsequent release of some journalists, the group, while condemning the act, stated that the increase in the rate of robbery and kidnapping had become a cause for concern of which President Jonathan should be wary.

His words: 'While the president and his family may be protected from the activities of the kidnappers, the same cannot be said of his supposed ambition to contest the 2011 elections. He needs to watch his back, because these kidnappers may eventually hijack his ambition. Abuja, being the seat of power is not immune from the nefarious activities of these men of the underworld.

'The activities of the kidnappers are not limited to the South-eastern states alone. Traditional rulers from other parts of the country have been trailed, kidnapped and even killed in the process. If Jonathan and his security chiefs are finding it difficult to solve these security lapses and acts of criminality, then his ambition in 2011 may be in jeopardy,' he stated.

Also commenting on the alleged earmarking of N6 billion by the Federal Government to celebrate the 50th independence anniversary of Nigeria, he said it would be in the best interest of Nigerians if President Jonathan invested the said amount into the power sector and security of the lives and property of Nigerians. He also called on the government to cut down on what he described as the huge allowances earned by political office holders and to invest some in creating more employment for the people.

'Incidences of kidnapping and other violent crimes in the society will drastically reduce if our political leaders can be sensitive enough to feel the pains of the citizens and stop this open display of opulence in the midst of abject poverty. If they can cut their outrageous allowances and use the savings for the welfare of the masses, the rate of crimes will drastically reduce.

'Jonathan's administration should not cut our nose to spite our faces. We should not be projecting a false image of our nation to the outside world while we are living in abject poverty,' he stated.