The menace of kidnapping for ransom has moved to the seat of power with supersonic speed. It is inarguable to say that kidnapping has assumed a frightening dimension with many family members being kidnapped on daily basis while their entire savings go for the payment of huge ransom. In the last two decades, kidnapping has become a lucrative business for criminals who made billions of naira out of it. All efforts to nip the menace of kidnapping in the bud have defied solutions.
One is disturbed as to why the nefarious activities continue to rise despite the government’s repeated assurances to curtail it. Going back memory lane, the genesis of kidnapping, particularly, in Katsina, Zamfara, Niger and Kaduna states was purely the mismanagement of cattle rustling and illegal mining activities by the government. These crimes suddenly transformed into a booming kidnapping industry as the result of the infiltration by bad eggs. Besides, some powerful forces or cartel are being accused of sponsoring the ungodly acts for financial gains.
However, the presence of dare devil kidnappers in Abuja, making brisk business did not come to many as a surprise. The serene Federal Capital Territory (FCT) shares boundaries with bandits infested states of Kaduna and Niger. Many communities in these states were overrun by rapacious bandits.
Whether kidnappers have relocated to Abuja due to the massive onslaught they suffered from our gallant security officers as reported by the heads of security or not, many rural communities in Kwali and Abaji Area Councils have been under the siege of kidnappers or suffering in silence. Until the kidnapping of six siblings along with their father, Alhaji Mansoor Al-badriyar, in Sabagi estate, Bwari, that attracted mixed reactions, many kidnap cases have been under-reported in the FCT.
The kidnappers of Al-badriyar’s family who killed the elder daughter, Nabeela, over the inability to pay N60 million ransom have jerked up the ransom to N100 million after realising that efforts, including crowdfunding,are being made to pay. The posers are: what has attracted kidnappers to Abuja, the seat of power? Do these criminals underrate the FCT security architecture? Will government wake up from its deep slumber and realise these kidnappers mean business? It is high time government reviewed its security strategies for optimum results.
The war against kidnapping and other sundry crimes can be won if government leverages on technology development. Recently, the Director General, National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), stated that the commission will work in collaboration with NCC and other security agencies to address the menace of kidnapping in the country. This is a good development. The war against kidnapping goes beyond conventional method where security officers go around to apprehend criminals.
As stated by the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar, the kidnappers are always ahead of government. So, government should embrace technological. One recalls how the ministry of communication and digital economy, under the former minister, Prof Isa Ali Pantami, came up with NIN-SIM link policies. The aim of the policy is to create and provide a comprehensive database of registered Nigerians. The database can help our security with necessary information about Nigerians whenever the need arises.
Though, the NIN-SIM link policy recorded substantial success, it was later abandoned due to the hue and cries that trailed it. The re-introduction or continuation of the policy will go a long way to assist security personnel to identify and apprehend kidnappers with relatively ease. Our telecommunication companies, MTN, GLO, Airtel, etc, should bar any line not linked with NIN.
Moreover, the speculations that some banks aid payment of ransom should be verified and necessary action taken. Government should wield a big stick against any financial institution that is complicit in the collection or payment of ransom. The audacity with which kidnappers operate in Abuja call for urgent action. If Abuja can become a hotbed for kidnappers, it means nowhere is safe.
Ibrahim Mustapha,
Pambegua, Kaduna state
08169056963
