4th October, 2010
Over the last few years, the media had reported and warned over this scourge overrunning the entire nation but little seemed to have been done to stem the tide of kidnapping.
The militants in the Niger Delta started the trend by kidnapping expatriates working in the oil and gas sector and demanded millions of naira for their release. Many a victim died in the process and the government tried to arrest the situation. Some of the kidnappers were killed while others were arrested. The security forces too suffered casualties but the biggest problem is that nothing seem to have happened to the kidnappers that were caught.
Consequently, kidnapping has become to these heartless people, big business. Our laws seem ineffective and the House of Representatives is preparing to introduce a bill to curb the menace. The lawmakers even expressed support for capital punishment for anyone found guilty of the offence.
Not a few Nigerians have expressed the opinion that except stiffer punishment is meted out to such criminals, the trend will continue.
What began in the Niger Delta as a form of protest against unequal distribution of wealth has today snowballed into a situation that is threatening the very fabric of society.
We believe these kidnappers have turned abduction of innocent people into a booming business. Millions are paid to these abductors almost everyday to release friends, colleagues, wives, husbands, breadwinners and children among others. The business has become so lucrative in Abia State that most unemployed youths have turned to kidnapping for ransom.
Recently, a medical doctor was murdered by kidnappers even after his family had paid the N30 million demanded by his abductors. This is just one of several cases where kidnappers have killed their victims to prevent being identified after they are released.
In the last few years, Abia State has become a hotbed of kidnapping. Almost daily we have stories of abduction in that part of the country, the peak being the kidnapping of 15 children on their way to school. They have since been released unharmed.
To arrest the situation, the Abia State government, on 23 September, 2010, announced an amnesty to the kidnappers to lay down their arms and be part of government programme to provide them with work and the basic necessities of life. But they refused and last week, the government revoked the amnesty.
The state Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Anthony Agbazuere said on Friday while announcing the cancellation of the amnesty programme that: “They want to challenge the state, they will see the powers of the state, it is now a war situation.â€
But can the state really stand up to these criminals? Will the Federal Government do something about this disgraceful act? Will both chambers of the National Assembly deem it fit to enact laws to deter the criminal-minded and the criminals themselves?
Will the government address the imbalance which, in the first place, created room for kidnapping? Will the judiciary expedite action on kidnapping cases? Will the police brace up to the challenge?