Nigeria is number six on the world’s kidnapping list. The country may find itself in the number one position if hostage taking is not nipped in the bud reports TOYOSI OGUNSEYE When hundreds of children, marched through some major streets of Port Harcourt
in protest against frequent cases of kidnapping in the Niger Delta region, it was a sad secretary to the Rivers State Government, Mr. Magnus Abe, that received them.
Abe was said to have pleaded with the children to forgive the older generation for bringing such predicament upon them. He said, ”The Niger Delta region was not like this before, it is the older generation that have done things wrong, it is not your fault but ours, we are sorry that your generation is facing this kind of situation.”
Even children know how rampant hostage taking has become; they have been victims several times. Just on May 6, a 20-month-old baby was kidnapped by six kidnappers at the Trade Fair Complex, Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. Early this year, a seven year-old boy was kidnapped on his way to school in Port Harcourt. His sister, an 11 year-old, who attempted to protect him, was killed.
What started in Nigeria as a way of drawing attention to the neglect of the Niger Delta area has become a money-spinning criminal act. Kidnapping of foreigners by militants, crude as it was, drew attention to the plight of the inhabitants of the region, who have incessantly complained of being neglected by various governments.
In the beginning, kidnappers concentrated mainly on expatriate workers of multinational oil corporations. As at 2007, an estimated 200 expatriates were reportedly abducted and their ransoms paid. It is, however, no longer strange to hear that Nigerians are kidnapping their fellow citizens. Now, people kidnap their friends, uncles and aunties take their nieces and nephews hostage unlike in the past when only strangers were involved in this cruel act. There is also the novel trend of ‘victims‘ conniving with their abductors to extort money.
Gradually, hostage taking crept into other parts of the country. It is competing with predominant crimes like robbery and murder. With reported cases in Lagos, Abuja, Owerri, Kano and Kaduna, hostage taking has become a nationwide phenomenon. The April 16, 2009 abduction of a Canadian guest of Rotary Club International, District 9120, Mrs. Julie Ann Mulligan, in Kaduna, Kaduna State is still fresh. The following day, April 17, the daughter of a local government chairman was kidnapped in Akwa Ibom State. She was tortured to death and her remains were dumped at the front of the main gate of her school; the College of Agriculture, Obio Okpa in Oruk Anam Local Government Area. Curiously, her father, Mr. Aniedi Udo, was said to have paid N10m to ensure the safety and release of her daughter.
In Lagos, last month, six suspected kidnappers lost their lives in a gun battle with the police, while the kidnapped Lebanese was freed. Also in Oyo State, a three-year-old boy was rescued and one of his abductors arrested by the Police while attempting to take delivery of the ransom promised the gang. Newspapers reported that another foreigner, an Egyptian was recently kidnapped in Kano state. The list is endless.
It‘s not an exaggeration to state that kidnapping, a felony punishable under Nigeria‘s codes has contributed in no small measure to the nation‘s falling economy. Some foreign oil companies have closed shop, tourists have stayed put in their countries, potential investors have moved to other African countries; Nigeria‘s loss has become Ghana‘s gain and the country‘s image has not got any better despite the rebranding efforts of the Federal Government.
Hostage taking is no doubt abominable. A sociologist, Ohikere Anda, said although it could not be justified, he blamed the increasing crime on idleness and unemployment.
Elechi Amadi, a writer, concurred with Anda. A victim of kidnapping, Amadi was released when his abductors saw that holding him was not financially profitable. Giving an account of what transpired between him and his abductors, he said, ”They complained that they were unemployed and accused the government of not doing enough to ameliorate the plight of the jobless in the region.”
Though the casualty rate is low in Nigeria, victims have told tales of torture, harassment and psychological trauma they would live with for the rest of their lives. Some of them have had to relocate abroad out of fear of a reoccurrence. For those who have lost a loved one through kidnapping, life would no longer be the same.
As expected, security experts and notable Nigerians have tried to find lasting solutions to this menace. On March 31, 2009, the Alex Ekwueme Foundation organised in Abuja, a one-day international summit titled ”Resolving Kidnapping, Hostage Taking and Local Terrorism in Nigeria.” Dr. Ekwueme said that hostage taking is ”spreading fast like wild fire and it is not a matter that can be left entirely to the security agencies to handle.”
In a bid to assure Nigerians of their safety, the then Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Mike Okiro, recently said the police would soon establish special squads in cities with very high cases of kidnapping. Briefing members of the Senate Committee on Police Affairs on measures so far taken to curb kidnapping in the country, Okiro said though the crime had become a national issue, some cities were more vulnerable. He said that he had forwarded a bill to the National Assembly that would strengthen existing laws on kidnapping.
Okiro also said he had forwarded a bill on the registration of sim cards to the National Assembly for necessary action. ”The data in the sim card must be certified by the police. Without GSM phones, kidnappers will not have the field day they are currently having.If this is done, kidnapping will be drastically reduced. The bills have been with the National Assembly for more than a month,” he said.
The IG is not the only one canvassing for stricter laws on kidnapping. The Imo State House of Assembly is also advocating a death penalty for anyone convicted of kidnapping in the state. A law was recently passed to this effect.
The Amnesty International has, however, called on the Imo State Governor, Mr. Ikedi Ohakim, to refuse his assent on the law. Aster van Kregten, Amnesty International‘s Nigeria researcher, said, ”Kidnapping is a terrible crime that causes anguish for both the victims and their families. But extending the scope of the death penalty to include this crime is a retrogressive step that does nothing to protect the victims – in fact, it only serves to put them at greater risk. This law may act as an incentive to kill, as perpetrators may decide they have ‘nothing to lose‘ – leading to an increase in killings of victims, innocent bystanders and police officers who try to apprehend the criminals.”
Section 364 of Nigeria‘s criminal code prescribes a punishment of 10 years imprisonment for anyone found guilty of the felony of kidnapping. Little is, however, known of suspected kidnappers that have been charged to court.
