Nigeria in the Grip of Kidnappers : A Geo-Temporal Survey by Protection Plus and a Brief Analysis by Olusegun Obasanjo and Oluwatoyin Vincent Adepoju

[Oluwatoyin Vincent Adepoju]

Analysis

"Herdsmen/farmers crises ...has developed into banditry, kidnapping, armed robbery and killings all over the country. The unfortunate situation is that the criminality is being perceived as a ‘Fulani’ menace unleashed by Fulani elite in the different parts of the country for a number of reasons but even more unfortunately, many Nigerians and non-Nigerians who are friends of Nigeria attach vicarious responsibility to you as a Fulani elite and the current captain of the Nigeria ship.

...

Whatever may be the grievances of Fulanis, if any, they need to be put out in the open and their grievances, if legitimate, be addressed; and if other ethnic groups have grievances, let them also be brought out in the open and addressed through debate and dialogue.

From ex-head of state, Olusegun Obasanjo's open letter to Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari 

International terrorism analysts such as the Global Terrorism Index, have, since 2015 to 2018  described Fulani militia as one of the deadliest terrorist groups in the world.  

The right wing Fulani group  Miyetti Allah  has owned up to and justified  recurrent massacres by Fulani herdsmen.

The dramatic upsurge in kidnapping is ascribed by various victims  to Fulani criminals.

Some Nigerians struggle to  decouple Fulani people from  terrorism or to explain the massacres the Fulani herders committed as no more than communal conflicts involving equality of carnage of both sides.

Some argue that Fulani are being scapegoated with the claim of their dominance of  kidnapping and banditry in Nigeria.

Whatever side of the debate one is on, everyone wants  the Nigerian govt to put an end to this epidemic.

Its continuous escalation, in the midst of what look to many like efforts to cash in on the carnage in a manner that benefits the demographic, Fulani herdsmen,  most often associated with the  perpetration of the horrors, through schemes gifting to them Nigerian's lands ( nationwide cattle colonies, nation wide ranches or nation wide RUGA settlements)  and money ( 100B offered or given to Miyetti Allah ostensibly to stop kidnapping by its members)  makes people suspect this nation wide carnage represents either orchestrated bloodletting and anarchy  or a self serving carnage.

Geo-Temporal Survey

                                                                                Security Risk Analysis

 

                                                                           Kidnapping Hotbeds in Nigeria

                                                                         Protection  Plus Services Limited

                                                                                       16th July 2019

PREAMBLE

Anyone up-to-date with the security situation and dynamics in Nigeria will attest that the country is grappling with multifaceted, unrelenting threats to national security. One of such pervasive security threat is an embarrassing kidnap for ransom and extortion (KRE) pandemic. 

Toddlers, elderly citizens, pregnant women and religious leaders are not off limits to daredevil kidnappers in Nigeria. It is a well-known fact that traveling by road now to any part of the country is like going on a suicide mission.

 The Abuja – Kaduna road which connects the federal capital to the Northwest states has been taken over by kidnappers. Birnin Gwari area in Kaduna State has now become synonymous with violent deaths.

Taraba, Zamfara, Sokoto and Gombe roads are impassable at the moment. Virtually all the major roads in the country have been taken over by kidnappers.

It is very important to stay ahead of security threats and risks in Nigeria otherwise you may be inadvertently setting yourself up to become another crime or kidnapping statistic. While it is possible that some of the cited hotbeds of kidnapping in Nigeria could become safe and serene in the near future but for now this is what it is; better to err on the side of caution.

This security risk analysis encompasses the 36 states of Nigeria but because of its extensive nature and swathes of territory involved, we shall analyze KRE in the various states but compartmentalize them into Nigeria’s six (6) geopolitical zones.

Kidnapping Hotbeds in Nigeria

    In North-Central Nigeria

No fewer than 70 kidnapping incidents were reported in Jos, Plateau state between January and June, 2019. About 80% of the victims are said to be children aged two to nine and the depressing aspect is that these kidnappings happen despite the plethora of security agencies – the Police, Army, Air Force, Navy, DSS, NSCDC, within Jos metropolis. 

Also, the Kaduna – Birnin Gwari road, Kaduna-Abuja road, and Abuja – Lokoja roads which link Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory, Abuja with most cities in the north-western and north central parts of Nigeria are unarguably the most dangerous roads in Nigeria due to the activities of gunmen and bandits who abduct travellers for ransom. 

On the Kaduna – Abuja expressway, many victims are reportedly ambushed around Rijana and Katari villages. This

stretch of road is interspersed with three forests - Rijana or Birnin Gwari and Akilbu forests where these bandits ensconce their victims. 

Prominent Nigerians, including senators, serving senior military officers and politicians have been forced to take trains to Kaduna for fear of being abducted by the notorious kidnappers operating along the Kaduna-Abuja Expressway.

Kogi state, especially the Obajana – Kabba road, Okene-Kabba road, Okene -Lokoja road and Itakpe-Adogo road in Adavi Local Government Area of Kogi state are arguably the most notorious kidnapping hotbeds in Nigeria. 

An American missionary, Phyllis Sortor was kidnapped from Hope Alive Nursery/Primary School in Emiworo, Ajaokuta Local government Area of Kogi State on February 23, 2015. Hajia Hawawu Bello, mother of the incumbent Governor of the State, Alhaji Yahaya Bello was kidnapped from her Nagazi residence in Adavi Local Government Area. 

On April 15, 2019, It was reported that, Henshaw Ativie was kidnapped alongside his wife and children in Itakpe-Adogo road in Adavi local government area of Kogi state. The family apparently ran into gunmen on their way to Edo state. The abductors forced the vehicle to a stop by shooting at the tyres before ordering the occupants to come down and later led the man and his wife into the nearby bush and left the three children stranded by the roadside.

Nigeria’s former Chief of Defence Staff, Air Marshal Alex Badeh was ambushed and shot in the evening of December 18, 2018 by gunmen while returning from his farm between Koso and Kugwaru communities, along Abuja-Keffi highway. Another retired senior military officer, Major General Idris Alkali was also killed in Jos, Plateau while driving from Abuja to
Bauchi. General Alkali’s body was later found in an abandoned well in Gushet, Shen, Jos.

       In South-West Nigeria

In Ondo state, the Owo-Oba Akoko road and Akure-Owo Expressway, specifically at Amurin Village in Owo Local Government Area are ill-famed for kidnapping. Kidnappers donning police uniforms are said to operate unhindered even with the presence of security operatives along that road. Apart from the sporadic kidnappings along Akure- Owo-Akoko roads, there have been reports of robberies and killings on same route, with no respite and solution in sight.

The Ikorodu (Ishawo) part of Lagos state is notorious for kidnapping, cult rivalry, ritual killings (Badoo) and other security challenges. Epe axis of Lagos state is also another kidnapping hotbed. Both are riverine communities with a plethora of creeks; it appears the kidnappers sail from neighbouring Ondo communities. Six male students of Igbonla Government College, Epe, Lagos, were abducted from their school premises on May 25, 2017 and were finally released at Aboto Creek at Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State.

On April 6, 2019, the Director of Lagos State Fire Service, Mr. Rasaki Musibau, and six others were kidnapped at Iwoye Bridge, Itoikin-Epe road, in Ikorodu. Sequel to this, the Nigerian Army established a Forward Operating Base (FOB) in Epe with a view to taming the wanton security challenges prevalent in this area. Similarly, the FESTAC axis in Lagos used to be notorious for kidnapping during the reign of billionaire kidnapper, Chukwudi Onwuamadike, a.k.a Evans. The Benin-Ore has become another haven where armed bandits have taken over the road with reports of kidnapping basically on a daily basis.

     In South-South Nigeria

The hotspot of highway kidnapping is the dreaded East–West Road connecting Warri / Sapele through Patani and Port Harcourt. Elele to Umudioga, Egbeda, Ubima, and Omuku roads are no go areas in the evenings (from 6pm) due to heightened kidnappings.

Travelers are advised to be very cautious or possibly avoid commuting through Elele -Ndele Rumuji - Emuoha – Choba - Port Harcourt.

    In South-East Nigeria

The Owerri-Port Harcourt road is a notorious kidnapping hotbed. Kidnappers lay ambush at a particular failed portion of the road around Nkaraha in Ohaji-Egbema Council Area of Imo State. About 40 travellers were reportedly kidnapped along this stretch of road within three months, including five members of the National Youths Service Corps (NYSC) who were travelling to Rivers from Ondo State for their orientation. The high rate of kidnapping along this road is attributed to unremorseful militants that have found a safe haven in the forest around the Port Harcourt-Owerri Road.

     In  North-West Nigeria

Sometime ago, the governor of Katsina state, Aminu Masari publicly lamented that, ‘’bandits and kidnappers have taken over Katsina state’’. According to governor Masari, “These bandits strike at will, maim at will, destroy lives and property at will’’.

He went further to opine, “In other parts of the state, we also have kidnappers who not only take people on the road but in the comfort of their homes."

Statistics have it that 297 residents were kidnapped, 448 people killed, 256 injured and 348 houses destroyed by bandits in Zamfara from December 2018 to June 2019 of which the figures could be higher because many cases go unreported. “Routes such as Gusau- Magami-Dansadau, Kuceri-Danjibga-Keta-Wanke, Kaura- Namoda -Moriki-Shinkafi and
Zurmi-Jibia – Katsina are very risky, especially at nights.

     In North-East Nigeria

At the peak of the Boko Haram blistering attacks, the Maiduguri – Dikwa – Gomboru road, Maiduguri – Damboa road and Maiduguri – Baga road, Konduga – Bama, and Bama – Bankiand Bama – Gwoza roads in Borno state and the 120-kilometre Damaturu-Biu Road in Yobe state were respectively closed for several months, years due to persistent Boko
Haram ambush and mass abductions along those roads. 

On April 12, 2019, reports had it that a prominent businessman based in Jimeta-Yola, Adamawa State, Abubakar Bashar,
was kidnapped while returning from a farm along Yola-Numan road.

      Conclusion

It is evident that kidnapping for ransom and extortion is unrelenting in Nigeria. More worrisome is the fact that the security agencies seem to lack the capacity and have no clear-cut strategy to rein in this pervasive security threat.

 Security is a collective responsibility and security awareness is fundamental. It is also a given that prevention is better than cure. Individuals must make conscious effort to be in the know about goings on around them and to do the needful. Also, given that kidnapping in Nigeria has morphed into a dangerous trend, high time it was treated as a national security problem. 

A proactive, holistic and collective approach and response is exigent if we must rein in kidnapping in Nigeria. The Nigerian government should go beyond treating the symptoms of kidnapping but go the whole hog of fixing the root, remote and immediate causes.

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