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Kidnapping: Another Big Industry

By Ugochukwu Ejinkeonye Scruples2006@yahoo.com

It started innocently enough, as some potent tool by youthful agitators to draw serious national and global attention to legitimate demands for better treatment of the hapless people of the Niger Delta, in whose land decades of oil exploration and exploitation had flourished, but which have only enriched many people from distant lands, leaving the very people at whose backyard the whole harmful activities were taking place poorer and more deprived than they had ever been. At the initial stage, no ransoms were demanded or paid. The aim, as we all saw it then, was to underline the seriousness of the struggle, the anger and frustration already setting in because their demands appeared to be continually falling on deaf ears, and the urgency with which they expected the Federal Government and oil companies to respond to their requests and improve the quality of life in the oil-rich region.

At that time, we had consistently warned that unless the Federal Government responded sincerely and urgently to the environmental disaster making life traumatic and hellish for the people in the Niger Delta, and thus removed the need for further agitations in the region, the crises might eventually be compounded by a sudden contamination of the struggle by criminal elements who would discover in kidnapping a fast route to sudden wealth and social elevation, just like the ruling elite were doing by looting the nation's oil wealth. But, characteristically, our warnings were ignored, and soon, the monster dreaded by all suddenly emerged and became the nation's nightmare.

This was totally avoidable. If the Federal Government had moved in immediately with development initiatives to make the people of the area feel the positive, beneficial impact of the huge wealth being extracted from their area, it would have been easy to inspire stakeholder feeling in them, and make them eager collaborators in any fight to discourage the criminalisation of the Niger Delta struggle.

But, sadly, the generals and the political elite were more interested in illicitly accumulating more money than they would ever need, and buying houses at cosy spots in choice cities across the world, than bother with the impoverished people of the region. They only accorded recognition to those "leaders" they could easily compromise. Thus, while these fellows became emergency billionaires, squandering oil money on countless frivolities and vain preoccupations, the people whose health is severely hurt in the course of extracting the oil wealth, whose once lucrative agricultural and fishing ventures had been irremediably destroyed due to oil spillage, and whose once pure and soothing environment had been terribly polluted, were left in grinding poverty and danger. Indeed, what the nation is reaping today is the just consequences of many years of boundless greed, injustice and exploitation of the resources in the Niger Delta by a tiny fraction of the population. And one wonders if declaring war on the people would bring Nigeria out of the deep hole it had willingly dug for itself.

But the real bad news today is that kidnapping is no longer an exclusive Niger Delta affair. It has become a huge industry with overwhelming national spread. Indeed, it is spreading to all parts of the country, fired largely by the obscene manner politicians flaunt their ill-gotten wealth. A layabout everyone knew in the village can in today's Nigeria suddenly acquire incredible wealth just because his relative had become a thug or driver to the tenth girlfriend of a lawmaker, governor or even council chairman. Just like that! And before anyone knows it, he has started throwing money about, building palaces, being chauffer-driven around town in exquisite cars with sirens and intimidating security men, and even snatching the pretty wives of some less-fortunate men. Yet, this was the same never-do-well everyone knew the other day, but because his relative could be trusted to execute with impressive success the dirty jobs of his masters and mistresses, he has now become the "money-man" of the community, pursued by traditional rulers to receive traditional titles, and revered by all for his ability to generously "drop" when it matters most.

There are also some energetic young men today who have suddenly acquired great wealth and influence just because they are sneaked into the Government Lodge every other day to make Her Excellency happy each time His Excellency is in Lagos, Port Harcourt or Abuja amusing himself on the laps of university girls or in New York, India or Amsterdam, frolicking with disease-infested prostitutes at public expense.

We must be willing to admit that the proliferation of these short-cuts to wealth by the corrupt political elite is the major motivation for crimes like kidnapping and violent robbery in Nigeria today. This is a country where about 80 per cent of the populace live below poverty level, yet less than 10 per cent of the population flaunt wealth of questionable sources as if it fell like manna from the sky. And so, those who cannot find space in politics to partake in the free and unfair looting of the oil wealth have taken to crime to force the treasury looters to share crumbs from their loot with them, so they too can flaunt obscene wealth, like them. Occasionally, however, those who made their money through honest, hard work do fall victim. That's the tragedy of the nation.

Yes, something must be done about security in this country, but a more creative and far-reaching solution to this monster is for the political elite to realize that they have stolen enough for the owner to notice. They have set off a tragic reaction whose end no one can predict. By the way, are these politicians so daft? How can they think that criminally minded people among the impoverished populace will continue to sit still and watch them, their children, wives, mistresses and other acquaintances obscenely exhibit unearned riches before their eyes and restrain themselves from being provoked?

What we have now is a balance of criminality. The public officer loots the treasury pale, and the kidnapper captures his wife and keeps her until he agrees to part with some of the looted fund. Of course, we know that in Nigeria, things only get worse, they hardly get better. So, make no mistake about it: this kidnapping saga might continue to worsen if people go on stealing and showing off their wealth in the midst of excruciating want. Very soon, they may start kidnapping "first ladies" - and let no one trust too much on the seemingly impregnable fortresses built around them. And if these women will agree to tell the truth, many of them may have been severely abused by their captors. It would amount to overstretching optimism to expect kidnappers to muster the scruples to resist violating the younger, well-tended wives in their custody.

The newspapers are reporting that the political and ruling elite are relocating their families to Lagos, Abuja and abroad to safeguard them from kidnappers - efforts financed with stolen wealth. But will their children live in perpetual exile? When will we stop running away from problems? An army of famished, unemployed graduates roams the streets daily, but who cares? The labour market keeps swelling as many companies close shop here due to the power sector crises, poor security and collapsed infrastructure and relocate to neighbouring countries where exists the enabling environment for business. And yet we are talking of combating crime? President Yar'Adua may soon declare another war, this time, on the whole country! Today it is kidnapping; tomorrow, it might be something worse.

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