Katsina State Governor Aminu Masari in negotiation with ‘militants’. Picture credit: This Day.
According to data, last year, Nigeria had one of the world’s highest rates of kidnap-for-ransom cases. Other countries high up on the list included Venezuela, Mexico, Yemen, Syria, the Philippines, Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia. Kidnapping has remained the most virulent form of banditry in Nigeria. It has become the most pervasive and intractable violent crime in the country.
There is no doubt that the entering into negotiations with kidnappers and bandits by the authorities raises several types of problems: The recognition of these groups as acceptable counterparts; the setting up of precedents, encouragement of these criminals to persist in their methods, and getting trapped in relationships that may elicit more concessions than necessary.
Many of those in authority are sitting comfortably in ivory towers and riding SUVs, seeming unconcerned about the current situation. It might be any of us being kidnapped today or tomorrow. We might feel secure in our gated communities or bullet-proof cars, but the moment one steps out of the comfort zone, one might fall victim. Children go to school, relatives go to the market; everyone of us in Nigeria is at risk of falling victim.
In October 2020, a U.S. joint special operations force moved into Nigeria to rescue an American who was abducted by kidnappers who demanded a ransom from the man’s father. Why can’t our security forces replicate this feat rather than engage in negotiations where ransom will change hands?
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