Beyond the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), which has recently become a hotbed for kidnapping, a wave of fear now engulfs at least 19 states as abductions by brazen kingpins and their gangs spike alarmingly. Residents and travellers alike navigate daily life with gnawing anxiety, ever-present since the loss of life and ransom demands have become chillingly routine.
The states witnessing this scrouge including Kaduna, Sokoto, Zamfara, Benue, Ebonyi, Imo, Anambra, Kogi, Abia, Kwara, Ondo, Katsina, Niger, Edo, Ondo, Oyo, Rivers, Osun and Ekiti.
The trauma inflicted on families of victims of kidnapping is twofold: the agonizing uncertainty of loved ones’ fate and the crushing burden of raising ransom.
For those fortunate enough to escape alive, the ordeal is akin to death with a pulse. WhatsApp groups and platforms like X and Facebook are now filled with desperate pleas for crowdfunding, a grim testament to the pervasiveness of this scourge.
Even those unable to garner ransom face a grim fate left at the mercy of brutal perpetrators who, despite collecting money, sometimes snuff out lives with callous disregard. Statistics paint a harrowing picture: in Nigeria, five out of ten people either know a kidnapping victim or someone who does.
This epidemic comes despite significant budgetary allocations to defence. Last year alone, N1.55 trillion was earmarked for security, placing it among the highest sectoral expenditures.
The 2024 budget further highlights this commitment, with N3.25 trillion, or 12% of the total N27 trillion, dedicated to defence and security.
Yet, with over a decade of grappling with kidnappings, the situation is deteriorating rapidly. Emboldened by their success, perpetrators have shed their cautious confines, venturing beyond highways and farms to attack residential areas brazenly.
Investigations reveal staggering ransoms paid within just this year. Some states have witnessed sums exceeding N200 million since January, a grim echo of a 2023 SBM Intelligence report detailing over N300 million collected nationwide between July 2022 and June 2023. This figure, the report noted, constitutes a mere 6% of the staggering N5 billion demanded by kidnappers during that period.
High-profile cases alone paint a disturbing picture. Nabeeha Al-Kadriya, an Abuja-based university student, was tragically murdered despite an N700 million ransom demand for her and her family.
Similarly, Alhaji Said Abdulkadir and his daughters in Zamfara faced a harrowing N100 million demand after their brazen abduction from their own home.
Countless such stories, often unreported, weave a tapestry of terror nationwide. From Kaduna and Sokoto in the north to Anambra and Imo in the east, to the south in Ondo and Rivers, fear stalks the land, its tendrils reaching even travellers on significant highways.
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