Op-Ed: State of Killings and kidnappings in Nigeria

By Sulaymon Rukkoyah Abidemi

Frequent acts of violent crime have grown to form a major threat to Nigeria’s national security. These include instances of militancy, insurgency and banditry.

Kidnapping has remained the most virulent form of banditry in Nigeria. It has become the most pervasive and intractable violent crime in the country. Apart from the loss of resources that's associated with kidnapping, it sometimes results to the death of the victim(s).

Kidnapping is not a new problem in Nigeria, and it is one of the country's biggest challenges. Of course the country faces many problems, including unemployment, corruption, and low rates of education—but it is kidnapping, thanks to high-profile incidents perpetrated by the Islamic militant group known as Boko Haram, that has drawn the world's attention. 

Nigeria has recorded various cases of kidnaping and killing of individuals in recent times. Some of which is the abduction of over 330 Nigerian boys, accompanying the news of their release, was the news that some of them were still missing. There is also the killing of Farmers working on the rice field which took place in Jere, not far from maiduguri. In which the attackers were reported to have tied up many of the victims before slitting their throats. This and many more cases has raised the fear of growing wave of violence accross the country.

One would think that the present penalty for kidnapping which ranges from one to 20 years in prison, with the possibility of life imprisonment for extreme cases involving murder, will help in dealing with the kidnapping menace. Instead, the number of these incidents keeps increasing, with the perpetrators being more violent.

 

Just like no form of violence is without a cause, Unemployment, Illiteracy, Poverty, Politics, Religion and Greed are some of the causes of Kidnapping and Killings across the globe. And each of these root causes must be evaluated and addressed in order to eliminate this terrible scourge once and for all