To curb the surge in kidnappings across the country, the Nigeria Police Force has procured advanced tactical equipment to enhance its tracking capabilities.
This is as new data revealed that no fewer than 1,290 people may have been kidnapped in the country since the beginning of the year.
The figure, according to an investigation by Saturday PUNCH, further confirms the high rate of abductions for ransom in Nigeria.
The figure was derived from an analysis of Nextier’s Nigeria Violent Conflict Database reports, published between January 1 and June 22, 2024.
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Nextier, an Africa-focused multi-competency public sector advisory firm, provides weekly reports in a database that collates media-reported violent conflicts across Nigeria.
Earlier this year, some civil society groups, under the aegis of the Civil Society Joint Action Group, said no fewer than 17,469 Nigerians were abducted between 2019 and 2023.
This was even as the Executive Director of the Civil Society Legislative and Advocacy Centre, Auwal Rafsanjani, said insecurity had persisted in the country, with 24,816 Nigerians killed and 15,597 persons abducted throughout the two terms of President Buhari.
Rafsanjani said 90 per cent of the 17,469 cases were recorded under Buhari, while 10 per cent were recorded during the last six months of 2023 under President Tinubu.
However, Saturday PUNCH gathered from Nextier’s insecurity database that between January 1 and June 22, 2024, no fewer than 1,290 Nigerians were kidnapped across the country.
The database also revealed that about 800 people were kidnapped between July 2023 and December 2023 under the current administration.
This implies that the number of kidnapped victims has increased by 490, which is 61 per cent more than the number of victims abducted during the last six months of 2023.
Reacting to the steady rise in crime, the NPF said the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, had recently acquired tactical equipment to tackle the scourge of kidnapping across Nigeria.
The NPF’s spokesperson, Muyiwa Adejobi, disclosed this to our correspondent on Friday, noting that ransom payments had made kidnapping a lucrative business in the country.
He said, “About two weeks ago, the IGP acquired additional tactical equipment to enhance our tracking capability. We do this, but the payment of ransom has made kidnapping a lucrative business.
We should not allow that. We should discourage it, so that many young people will not venture into this criminal act. Let us see it as a criminal offence.”
He also lamented that the payment of ransoms had encouraged criminals to continue abducting people.
Adejobi said the police had been educating Nigerians on the danger of paying ransom.
He said, “We have been educating Nigerians not to make kidnapping a lucrative business. We have been educating people through various media, forums, and lectures. Even religious platforms are being used to educate Nigerians not to pay ransom. Kidnapping is not a business; it is a criminal act.
“Kidnappers always work on the psyche of the relatives of their victims. Kidnappers tell the relatives that if they talk to the police or other security agencies, they would kill their loved ones. But, it’s not so. The reason for kidnapping is to make ends meet.
(PUNCH)