The first act of kidnapping in Nigeria started 2006 when the militants of the Niger Delta took total hostage to protest the inequality in the region. According to the militants, Nigeria is built at the expense of the region which serves as the cash cow for the whole country.
Kidnapping rate in Nigeria.
Dec 01 2021
Since April 2014 after the Boko Haram terrorists abducted 276 schoolgirls from their dormitories in Chibok, Borno State, mass kidnapping for ransom has gradually, become the other of the day in Nigeria.
by Sunday Vanguard show that the country has witnessed staggering 111 kidnapping incidents in the last eight months, that is, from January to mid-August, 2021.
The total figure represents confirmed cases by the police and eye witnesses’ accounts eventually reported by the media.
Sunday Vanguard learned that many other unreported incidents may have taken place, especially in Niger, Zamfara, Sokoto, and Katsina states (North-West and North-Central) where banditry is raging. Thus, the sum total may well be above 111 if all cases were captured.
The highest number of kidnap cases (27), was recorded in February with 605 victims. This was closely followed by July (23) and January (21) with 327 and 284 victims respectively.
The first act of kidnapping in Nigeria started 2006 when the militants of the Niger Delta took total hostage to protest the inequality in the region. According to the militants, Nigeria is built at the expense of the region which serves as the cash cow for the whole country.
Over 2,371 persons were abducted between January and June 2021, a report by SBM Intelligence has said. According to the report, an average of 13 persons were abducted daily within the period across the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory. The study revealed that kidnapping has become perhaps the biggest security threat in the country. Between January 2015 and May 2020, no fewer than 4,962 persons were kidnapped across the country. Many cases are not reported to the police or by the media.
The study`s findings through descriptive and historical method shows that abject poverty, corruption and fraud, political influence, joblessness, terrorism, lack of capital punishment by the government, the changing value system and quick-money syndrome are the major causes of kidnapping in Nigeria.
INSECURITY: TOP 12 STATES WITH MOST KIDNAPPEES IN 6 MONTHS – Jan to Jun 2021
1 Niger: 795
2 Zamfara: 523
3 Kaduna: 479
4 Katsina: 289
5 Borno: 115
6 Kebbi: 103
7 Oyo: 63
8 Delta: 55
9 Taraba: 55
10 FCT: 52
11 Edo: 37
12 Imo: 33
The situation was made worse due to alleged breakdown of security architecture in the country especially in the North-West and North-East.
Security experts say the inability of the Federal Government, through the security agencies, to stem the development has led to a surge in kidnapping and banditry.
According to the experts, armed bandits have taken advantage of weak security presence to continue their reign of terror on schools, villages and highways.
SBM Intelligence
According to a report by SBM Intelligence, an average of 13 persons were abducted daily in Nigeria in the first half of 2021, thereby underscoring how common and daring the criminals have become.
The findings, which covered Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones, South-West, South -East, South-South, North-Central, North-East and North-West, and the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja, represent the reported cases.
The pattern of abduction remained the same in the North, where victims were often kidnapped en mass during attacks on remote villages and schools.
Mass abduction of travellers on highways emerged as the latest mode of operation by gunmen who have become more daring.
This is not prevalent in the North alone as highways in the South-West and South-South have become hot spots
of the dangerous roads identified include Benin-Ore Highway, Benin-Auchi-Okene Highway, Keffi-Akwanga Highway, Akure-Owo Expressway, Abuja-Abaji-Lokoja Road, Zaria-Sokoto-Gusau,Bauchi-Tafawa-Balewa Highway, Wukari-Takum Road and Minna -Kotongora Road.
In the South-West where herdsmen have been accused of most of the incidents, victims were often abducted on highways and farms.
Clear strategy
Sunday Vanguard notes that after each mass abduction, state and federal governments condemn the attack in strong terms, with promises to rescue abductees.
Without any clear strategy for arresting the scourge, which has spread to every part of the country, authorities and individuals pay huge sums to kidnappers.
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