Security Risk Analysis: Kidnapping Hotbeds in Nigeria (1)

Written By: Don Okereke

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. John Campbell, a former United States ambassador to Nigeria who is quite familiar with events in Nigeria agrees in his recent article that ‘Nigeria's national kidnapping crisis is expanding’. In his article titled – ‘’Time to Declare National Emergency on Kidnapping’’, the editor-in-chief of Leadership Newspaper, Mr. Jonathan Nda-Isaiah says, ‘’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 North-west 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’’.

Aim: This security risk analysis of kidnapping hotbeds in Nigeria is aimed at harvesting nuggets of data on reported kidnapping incidents across the nook and cranny of Nigeria. While there are one-offs, it is evident that many kidnapping incidents in Nigeria seem to recur within some geographical swathes, environments where such incidents happened in the past. We can make a couple of deductions from this: it is most likely that there is poor security in such areas. Secondly, it is probable that the masterminds or foot soldiers of kidnappings in those areas are by acts of omission or commission, not behind bars. They are emboldened and bask on impunity. Since they still lurk around, it is a matter of time before they kidnap their next victim(s) and extort ransom. Unmasking potential kidnap hotspots will enhance security awareness and ultimately aid prevention. It is hoped that this research will help us tack together - a kidnapping heat map in Nigeria, and also help crime fighting, and law enforcement. 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.

This research is driven by public and social good and most of the data here are in the public domain. There is no intent to stereotype kidnapping neck of the woods cited. 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. As a passionate security analyst and a subject matter expert (SME) on security and kidnappings in Nigeria, this is my humble way of adding altruistic value to humanity.

Research Methodology: A lion's share of the data harvested and collated in this research stem from Open Source Intelligence (OSINT), Social Media Intelligence (SOMINT), Human Intelligence (HUMINT) and from my years of painstaking observation, analysis and chronicling kidnap for ransom and extortion (KRE) incidents, dynamics in Nigeria as a Subject Matter Expert (SME). 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 40 kidnapping incidents were reported in Jos, Plateau state between January and March, 2019. About 90% 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 northwestern and north-central parts of Nigeria are unarguably the most dangerous roads in Nigeria due to the activities of kamikaze gunmen and bandits who abduct travelers 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, The Cable reports 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 Local Government Area of Plateau state.

In southwest 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. As recently as 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.

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 travelers 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 the northwest, just recently, 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’’. The Acting Executive Secretary of the Zamfara Emergency Management Agency (ZEMA), Alhaji Aminu Umar, recently stated in Gusau that 227 residents were kidnapped, 408 people killed, 126 injured and 248 houses destroyed by bandits in Zamfara from December 2018 to date (April 2019). Mr. Umar says ‘’the figures could be higher because many cases had gone 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. This is not to say that one cannot be kidnapped even at day time,” a resident Aliyu Ashiru said.

In northeast 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, Premium Times reported 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. As they say, you don’t keep doing the same thing the same way and expect a different result.

Written by:

(C) Don Okereke, a security analyst, consultant, writer, researcher, and a subject matter expert on security trends in Nigeria.

Here's the full article here: https://donokereke..com/2019/04/security-risk-analysis-kidnapping.html


Twitter: @DonOkereke

April 19, 2019

This dissertation is too academic for Nairaland.

matify83:
This dissertation is too academic for Nairaland.

I know what you mean...It's not about snake, celebrities etc hence not likely to make FP.

But we can change the narrative...and make Nairaland a repository of knowledge for the benefit of humanity. I feel this is my humble way of adding value and contributing to safety and security in Nigeria. It behooves on Seun, Lalasticlala et al to do the needful.

Best,

Security Risk Analysis: Kidnapping Hotbeds in South West Nigeria

Introduction:

The first tranche of this series titled ‘’Security Risk Analysis: Kidnapping Hotbeds in Nigeria (1)’’, summed up data on reported kidnapping incidents and hotspots across Nigeria. Granted there are one-off incidents, but research indicates that many kidnapping incidents reoccur within some geographical swathes, along major highways in Nigeria. The kidnapping almost always entails an ambush usually at bad portions of the road and usually take place early in the morning or evenings.

We can deduce inter-alia that: there is dearth of security in such areas. It is also safe to extrapolate that the masterminds, foot soldiers of kidnappings in those climes are not behind bars; they lurk around and it is a matter of time before they stage their next kidnap and extort ransom. In his May 28, 2019 piece published on BBC Africa, Nasidi Adamu Yahaya’s piece titled, ‘’How Nigeria and its president are being held to ransom’’, chronicles the ‘booming business of kidnapping for ransom and extortion (KRE) in Nigeria’. Former US ambassador to Nigeria, John Campbell argues in his piece titled, ‘’The Intelligence Response Team: Nigeria’s Solution To Expanding Wave of Kidnappings’’ that, ‘’Nigerians believe they are in the midst of a kidnapping wave and that the government is largely powerless to stop it. Fear of kidnapping appears to be a factor in middle-class emigration from Nigeria and the wealthy sending their families abroad’’.

Regrettably Nigerian citizens have been fingered in kidnapping incidents in neighbouring African countries. On June 4, 2019, two Canadian women, both volunteers with Youth Challenge International, a Toronto-based international development organization, were kidnapped by unidentified gunmen in the country's second largest city, Kumasi. Four Nigerians were reportedly arrested in the Canadian girls kidnap. Similarly, three Nigerians were declared wanted over the kidnapping of Mr. Nabil Makram Basbous, the Consular-General and Head of Mission of Estonia to Ghana in April 2019.

Southwest Nigeria is one of the six geopolitical zones in Nigeria comprising six states – Ekiti, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ondo, and Lagos. A 2013 National Crime Victimization and Safety Survey conducted by CLEEN Foundation with support from the United States based Macarthur Foundation shows that the South West had the highest incidents of kidnapping with 5 per cent of the respondent from the region saying they have either been kidnapped or attempts have been made to kidnap them. The kidnapping situation in the southwest bottomed out thereafter but it appears to be relapsing. From Ekiti to Osun, Lagos to Ondo, Abeokuta to Ekiti, Ibadan to Osun state, kidnap for ransom and extortion is currently ravaging parts of southwest Nigeria especially along inter-town or inter-state roads. Yoruba socio-cultural groups such as the Yoruba Council of Elders, YCE; the pan-Yoruba socio-political organization, Afenifere; and prominent citizens - the Aare Onakakanfo of Yorubaland, Gani Adams and elder statesman, Pa Ayo Adebanjo decried the wanton, pervasive kidnappings and killings in southwest Nigeria. The Yoruba Koya Movement declared June 12, 2019, as a national day of protest against the ongoing killings and kidnapping across Yoruba-speaking states.

The following inter-state roads have been identified as kidnapping flashpoints in southwest Nigeria: the Iwo-Osogbo Road, the Akure-Ilesa Road via Ondo State, Ijebu-Jesa/Esa Oke/Erio/Aramoko Road from Ekiti State and a number of other deserted roads within Osun State including Osogbo-Ibokun-Ada Road. Also, cases of kidnap have been reported recently in Ikirun, Inisa and Okuku communities along the highway leading to Kwara State. Interestingly, many if not all the aforesaid states ravaged by kidnapping in the southwest, nay, Nigeria have stringent anti-kidnapping laws, death sentence for kidnapping, yet kidnapping persists.

Unmasking existent kidnap hotspots will enhance security awareness, aid travel security, journey management and planning and ultimately enhance prevention of kidnapping. It is hoped that if tweaked, this collation of evidenced kidnap for ransom and extortion (KRE) hotspots would help contrive a Nigeria crime or kidnapping heat map, which will ultimately aid crime fighting, and law enforcement. Without much ado, we present kidnapping hotbeds in southwest Nigeria…

Below is the link to the full article - state by state analysis of kidnapping hotspots in southwest Nigeria:

Security Risk Analysis: Kidnapping Hotbeds in South West Nigeria
https://donokereke..com/2019/07/security-risk-analysis-kidnapping.html


Written By:

©Don Okereke, a security analyst, consultant, writer, researcher, subject matter expert and security thought leader in Nigeria.

July, 2019