‘Terror’ in the Land
Oct 3rd, 2010 by admin
A couple of weeks back the 11 year old son of a former commissioner of Police in Bauchi, a state in Nigeria was kidnapped. It was reported that the criminals entered the house in the evening after the break of the Muslim fast, went into the sitting room where the father of the kidnapped victim was and demanded money. When they could not get the money they went away with the only son. Some months back, four journalists were kidnapped while returning from an assignment in the eastern part of the country. The kidnappers initially demanded the sum of 250 million Naira for ransom, but for the intervention of the President, law enforments agents were at loss on how to tackle the situation. While writing the report, some school children were abducted on their way to school and 40 million Naira demanded as ransom. The President has again intervened demanding their immediate release.
Recently, the Nigerian President, Goodluck Jonathan said, “There are some communities where kidnapping is becoming a business. Some very senior people are involved and we are tracking them. This is because when some are kidnapped, some people come all the way from Lagos as negotiators, very senior people who have all the degrees in the world, who people respect, but they have all degenerated to the level of abetting and associating with kidnapping”. The President also revealed that the country lost the opportunity to host the Common wealth games due to the spate of kidnappings.
The matter has attracted a lot of debate at the senate and no fewer than 13 senators have spoken at length on the issue. The senate president David Mark argued that Kidnappers and Robbers should be treated alike. According to him unemployment was in no way responsible for the upsurge in kidnapping.
Kidnapping all started in 2006 when some militants decided to use the method to press home their demands. The aftermath of that ugly act has spread like wild fire. Oil workers and expatriates were the original targets in the oil rich Niger-Delta, where the demand for equitable share in the resources in the area was the focus. Today, kidnappings have spread from the South-East to almost every state in the country. Despite a deal to discourage armed struggle. The abductions which have widened in scope marks the rise of a dangerous form of crime in the country. What is most discouraging is the rate at which it is becoming a form of business activity like 419. If truth be told, it could become a thriving career option with 419 gradually losing its grip on many jobless youths.
Nigeria is blessed with abundance of resources. The people have a rich diverse cultural heritage, it is a unique country with unique people, but so much is being taken for granted. For instance, the high rate of youth unemployment is ignored. This has certainly fuelled the crime rate. Again, wrong values, so entrenched in the system is a contributing factor.
The present situation is frightening and unacceptable. This shows the level of security in the country which reflects poorly on the nation. It also portrays a very bad image, who wants to visit a country with security issues. Security agents and the Police force who currently seem overwhelmed with the situation must rise up to the task and arrest the situation.
With approaching elections the situation may get worse. Something has to be done quickly. It is therefore imperative that the law enforcement agents get their act together.