In 2022 precisely, during an academic presentation, I spoke on the Dangers of Kidnapping and it’s Emerging Industry in Nigeria. A case study on the then Abuja Kaduna Road.
Today, it’s disheartening to know that kidnapping has become a major industry in Nigeria, making headlines on front pages of news papers and breaking news on National Television stations unfortunately.
Kidnapping, banditry and terrorism, the tripartite evil, are now the tripod supporting and inspiring fear in the nooks and crannies of the country.
Kidnapping used to be of states concern but it rose to a matter of National concern because is spreading so fast across state borders in Nigeria .
Insecurity in the country has gotten so bad that our leaders are overwhelmed and indecisive when proactive measures should be taken. Our security operatives, appears to be subservient to the bandits due to politicking, poor funding and unavailability of military hardwares to match the sophistication of the bandits.
Now it’s no longer Abuja, Kaduna Road, their base is gradually shifting to kogi state and other part of Western and Eastern regions.
Many questions comes to mind looking at the complexities of kidnapping in Nigeria, and juxtaposing the seemingly helplessness of the executive arms of government.
The questions that comes to mind are;
* Does kidnapping in Nigeria, enjoys international backing and supplies.
* Is it a political weapon or strategy to make governance ungovernable to elected officials by forces of opposition like in the case of President Jonathan.
* Is it an ethnic jihad to land grab and establish the emirate sytem like we read in history where religion was used as a bit to subordinate the hausawas from their heritage by Fulani jihadis who came through the Sahara desert in the North.
It’s clear from question 3, it wasn’t an islamatization agenda because after the conquest of the core Northern states, the kanuri people of Borno state who where originally Muslims before the arrival of Osman Dan fordio, where invaded but the Fulani jihadis met fierce opposition from the kanuri, making them to retreat thereby making the kanuri, retaining their core traditional chiefdom as a result of the failed invasion.
The original intentional of the invasion was simply to establish the emirate sytem of leadership with an emir becoming the custodian of tradition like a part of Yoruba land was lost during the old Oyo empire when the traditional head of the military Kankafo Arare in his desperation to overthrow the then Alafin of Oyo, signed a treaty with the Fulanis to join him in the fight against his people.
The Fulanis helped him to win, after the war, the Fulani jihadis turned against Kankafo and establish the emirate sytem in ilorin kwara state putting an emir as the custodian of their tradition thereby reducing the territorial influence of the present day Alafin.
The Yorubas are known to have kings like Obas and Oonis but not emirs. The emirate system, is a direct consequences of an ethnic jihad subtly disguised as a religious conquests.
It seems history wants to complete it’s orbit as we are faced with disturbing situations of emboldened terrorists who perpetrate their dastardly act unmasked and even exploring the social Media in threatening and posting videos of their assaults without fear and the government of the day seems overwhelmed and hands tied.
My candid advice to the government is to reform the police force. It’s obvious that the Nigerian police force cannot provide the needed protection of life and property which is their core confidential duties not because they can’t but because they are lacking in the numbers, looking at our current population estimated at over 200million people.
If government can engage the current police force at the Federal like the case of FBI in other climes of the world, state and regional policing should then be adopted as regional solutions to the wild spreading of kidnapping and banditry.
Secondly, traditional institution must be tasked with ensuring peaceful coexistence at communal level, traditional institution must be upgraded beyond it’s current inactivity to helping the government at the grassroot in policy making that affect the people in positive ways. Leadership of Alhaji beti lai, and other private traditional patterns that seeks to enslave the people must be frawn at and discouraged in this era of global civilization
In part 2,, I will write on kogi state and the emerging cases of kidnapping and the activity and inactivity of governance in the state.
Good evening Nigerians.