Violent kidnappings-for-ransom spread across Nigeria

  • 📰 SowetanLIVE
  • ⏱ Reading Time:
  • 35 sec. here
  • 2 min. at publisher
  • 📊 Quality Score:
  • News: 17%
  • Publisher: 63%

South Africa Headlines News

'The gangs involved now appear more organised, operating in larger groups, with more elaborate logistics, striking more audaciously.'

The causes of rising numbers of kidnappings are multiple, including difficult economic times and overstretched security forces facing threats on several fronts.Aminu Magami, a taxi driver in northwest Nigeria, froze in fear when more than 20 gunmen stormed an expressway one night in February, shooting into the air.

"One of them ran towards my car" as Magami was stuck, the road blocked."I just sat there and raised my hands, begging them," he recounted. Magami was taken hostage in his native Zamfara State, where he was held captive and tortured for nearly a month. His home state is reeling from a spate of attacks, with 203 crime-related deaths and 281 kidnappings in the first three months of 2019, according to Nigeria's top police officer, Mohammed Adamu.

This is nearly half the 685 kidnappings countrywide in the first quarter of the year - an average of seven per day.In Nigeria, kidnappings for ransom have been a risk in the oil-rich south for decades.

 

Thank you for your comment. Your comment will be published after being reviewed.
Please try again later.
We have summarized this news so that you can read it quickly. If you are interested in the news, you can read the full text here. Read more:

 /  🏆 13. in ZA

South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

Al-Shabaab demands ransom for kidnapped Cuban doctors | IOL NewsAl-Shabaab militants who kidnapped two Cuban doctors from north-eastern Kenya and took them to Somalia are demanding $1.5 million for their release.
Source: IOL - 🏆 46. / 51 Read more »

U.N. urges calm after protests by LGBT+ refugees in Kenya turn violentU.N. urges calm after protests by LGBT+ refugees in Kenya turn violent.
Source: SowetanLIVE - 🏆 13. / 63 Read more »

U.N. urges calm after protests by LGBT+ refugees in Kenya turn violentU.N. urges calm after protests by LGBT+ refugees in Kenya turn violent.
Source: SowetanLIVE - 🏆 13. / 63 Read more »

Swine fever spreads to Free State, the fourth province in SAThe diseases was detected in the North West, Mpumalanga and Gauteng in April
Source: BDliveSA - 🏆 12. / 63 Read more »

African swine fever outbreak spreads to Free State ProvinceThe disease was previously detected in North West, Mpumalanga and Gauteng provinces last month. E fete fa ga Magashule fale tlheng bagolo e gasaganye fela, re tla patela morago Oooh so Generations was trying to warn us. Thanks Mfundi Vundhla
Source: eNCA - 🏆 49. / 51 Read more »

African swine fever outbreak spreads to Free State ProvinceThe disease was previously detected in North West, Mpumalanga and Gauteng provinces last month. Vark me 🙈🙈🙈 Eish Details
Source: eNCA - 🏆 49. / 51 Read more »

African swine fever spreads to fourth province in SAThe latest outbreak of the severe haemorrhagic disease affecting pigs has been reported in the Heilbron area in the Free State.
Source: ewnupdates - 🏆 30. / 53 Read more »

Trade war spreads seismic rumbles beyond US and ChinaIf a compromise is not found, the global economy is under threat
Source: BDliveSA - 🏆 12. / 63 Read more »

This is how attackers were able to spread spyware through WhatsApp with just a phone callAttackers exploited a WhatsApp vulnerability known as a buffer overflow to spread spyware to mobile devices. Here's what that term means.
Source: News24 - 🏆 4. / 80 Read more »

2019 ELECTIONS: ANC victorious, but loses seats in Parliament and across most legislaturesThe 2019 elections officially came to a close on Saturday night. While the ANC maintained its majority in the National Assembly, the vote has taken its toll on both the governing party and the official opposition, the DA.
Source: dailymaverick - 🏆 3. / 84 Read more »

HEALTH-E NEWS: Post-elections: Will villages across South Africa remain without water?We’ve voted, the turnout was dismal, the counting was tense, the results are out and now we return to our lives. Will South Africans see an actual change after the dust of elections has settled? If some of the villages across the country are anything to go by, it’s highly unlikely. mckaytracey Thought that was Flint, Michigan Yes ermbates That’s result of voting for ANC those ppl don’t take us serious I think if we voted against them they would have learnt something but there is nothing which will challenge our ppl will continue without water 💧 & roads n services we will never c them....
Source: dailymaverick - 🏆 3. / 84 Read more »