Kidnapping for ransom has become attractive because 95% of those involved go scot-free and enjoy the derived monetary rewards. The ineptitude of our security agencies and a culture of corruption and compromise have made kidnapping gain traction. Till date, the criminals involved in both the 2014 Chibok and Abuja-Kaduna train attacks are yet to be apprehended.
Another category, terrorist abduction, refers to a sophisticated organised crime and large-scale business involving multiple actors, often targeting high value individuals, and designed to draw the government’s attention. The 2014 mass abduction of 276 school girls in Chibok, North-East of Nigeria, woke the nation up to this new reality. Another was the Abuja-Kaduna train attack , for which most of the victims are still held as hostages, six months after.
It is simply mysterious that with the ubiquitous nature of Nigerian police officers, a plethora of intelligence agencies, military establishments, heavy budget on technology and arms, the kidnapping industry is still thriving in Nigeria with little or no consequences. The police who are primarily responsible for tackling this crime sometimes know the kingpins and their operational bases, yet it remains a ‘mystery’ that the police still seems ineffective in tracking the crime and criminals.
It is simply mysterious that with the ubiquitous nature of Nigerian police officers, a plethora of intelligence agencies, military establishments, heavy budget on technology and arms, the kidnapping industry is still thriving in Nigeria with little or no consequences. The police who are primarily responsible for tackling this crime sometimes know the kingpins and their operational bases, yet it remains a ‘mystery’ that the police still seems ineffective in tracking the crime and criminals.
Some people have argued that the seeming inefficiency of the security agencies and architecture in tackling kidnapping and related crimes is caused by the conspiracy of the top brass in the security firmament, who think that peace is much less lucrative than perpetual low-intensity conflict. Insecurity, some have argued, has become big business helping the funnelling of huge security budgets to the security sector.