I woke up Tuesday to read some hair-raising headlines about kidnapping and killings in our country. “Over 17,000 Nigerians abducted under Buhari and Tinubu”, screamed one newspaper that described the incidents an epidemic.

Another newspaper wrote:

”2,423 people killed, 1,872 kidnapped in eight months of Tinubu”. There was yet another scary headline, that will truly scare any outsider away from my state of Ogun. It says “From Rising industrial hub to den of cultists, criminals.” The impressionistic outsider will, at first blush, think every inch of Ogun is under the siege of cultists and criminals.

Of course, this sweeping generalisation conveyed by the newspaper does not match the reality lived by the people in the state.

As a newspaper man myself for over 40 years, I understand the game the media play. To sell our newspapers or clickbait, we tend to exaggerate and embellish, sometimes forgetting the social responsibility of the media, not to give the impression that our country is under siege by criminals or that every nook and cranny of our country is under their stranglehold.

One of our newspapers took this responsibility to heart in its report on the same Tuesday, making its major headline, the efforts by security agents to rein in the minority vagabonds in our midst. “Securitymen raise bar in battle against kidnappers”, the paper reported, as it listed the bombing of terrorists den, the rescue of captives by the army and police, simultaneously as it also reported the unfortunate killing of two monarchs in Ekiti, a policeman in Imo and mother and daughter in the FCT.

The frightening headlines on Tuesday were. based on the report by the Civil Society Joint Action Group that calls for an emergency on the security situation, surprisingly oblivious that our security agencies have been working in that spirit for a long time, since 2009.

Our security agencies deserve society’s appreciation for their efforts so far, in trying to nip in the bud the evils of kidnapping, banditry, communal killings and terrorism in our country. Their efforts, most often understated, have made our country safer at least than South Africa or the United States, where 44,310 people were killed last year in gun violence.

South Africa faces a worsening insecurity than Nigeria. In 2023, 15,343 people were kidnapped, with Gauteng Province, where. the City of Johannesburg, the commercial capital, is located recording 7,818 cases of kidnapping for ransom. Ten years ago in 2013, there were only 3,822 cases of kidnapping. They jumped to 11,000 in 2021 and have been on the upward curve since then.

Gun related killings or murders are also high in South Africa. They increased by 35 percent between 2021–2022 and 2022–2023. In the fourth quarter of 2023, 6,289 people were killed in South Africa. An average of 70 killings occurred per day between January and March 2023. Within a more extended period, April 2022 and March 2023, the killings were 75 per day. According to official statistics, 27,272 people were killed during this period, with 11,347 shot dead.

South Africa also leads the world in car jacking, with 18,000 cases reported in 2020 and 22,742 cases reported last year, an increase of eight percent over 2022 figure.

Nigerians will appreciate our security agencies better with the comparative figures about our country. Between July 2022 and and June 2023, Nigeria recorded 3,620 people kidnapped for ransom, in 582 kidnapping incidents. In 2022, 4,616 people were kidnapped. The same year, 4,545 people were killed by criminals in our midst.

In a report by the. World Population Review, Nigeria is not among the top 10 countries in the world, with kidnapping “epidemic“. Turkey leads with 42 people kidnapped out of 100,000 people. Lebanon is second with 15 people out of 100,000 and Kuwait third with 12 out of 100,000 held in captivity. Canada, Belgium, South Africa, New Zealand, Pakistan, Eswatini and United Kingdom make up the remaining top 10. Kidnapping in Nigeria is 0.334 per 100,000.

Surely, every life matters. Surely, any of our compatriots kidnapped by the criminals must be a matter of concern to the government as it has always been a matter of concern to our security agencies and the leadership, whose job is to keep all of us safe.

In my view, they have all. been playing a salutary role. Contrary to the uncharitable comment that President Tinubu has been fiddling while incidents of kidnapping or killings occur, as commander-in-chief, he has been. providing material support to security agencies to discharge their duties. In recent weeks, we have seen the police setting up a Special Intervention Squad, equipped with drones. The DSS has stepped up its anti-kidnapping act, rescuing 154 abducted people in the last few days.

Last week President Tinubu approved N50billion as Special Fund to address some of the lingering security challenges in North East. He also approved special funds to the FCT, for the acquisition of equipment to track criminals.

Media reporting about cases of kidnapping, communal killings and isolated terrorism acts must show some moderation by not giving the impression that all Nigerians no longer sleep with two eyes closed or are not safe in going about their day-to-day business.

The relative peace we used to enjoy in our country was broken in the 90s by cases of kidnapping in Niger-Delta. Then followed insurgency in the North-East in 2009, which morphed into banditry and kidnapping in North-West and some parts of North Central. Kidnapping, which appears to be developing into an industry, has also spread to South-West and South-East. It will definitely take some time to put the broken pieces back into the whole.

While we do not have a crime-free country yet, there is no denying that some efforts are being made countrywide to fight the emerging scourge. Last December Lagos State celebrated four years of near zero robbery in the state, with only one incident recorded in Epe in 2023. The South-West states have set up Amotekun, a local police of sort, that is working alongside the police. Such efforts must be encouraged all over the country, to give our people security cover at all times. Amotekun and other local police set up by the states must be strengthened to work with our existing security structure for intelligence gathering and covert operation. Citizens and the media must also, as a matter of duty, compliment the efforts of government to completely stamp out violent crimes.

-Onanuga is Special Adviser to the President on Information & Strategy

This same man was abusing GEJ then ooo and things wasn't this bad

Naso
If other countries are buying Fuel for 3000/litre why should we complain

If south Africa's insecurity is worse than Nigeria's own why are we complaining

Typical Urchins mentality

That man is Joking 😃

Pikin wey be failure compares others failure as worse than theirs to console himself. Ant get height pass ground wey e dey walk on

What happens in SouthAfrica is not our problem, as I believe they have their own journalists to report the news locally just as our Nigerian journalists are also doing same.

The government of Nigeria must be responsible for the lives and safety and livelihood of Nigerians.

The government should provide a solution fast to the security lapses we have always had, and which a lot of criminals and terrorists are now emboldened to exploit.

chokekachy:
-Onanuga is Special Adviser to the President on Information & Strategy

This is all you need to know.

The level of daftness , deafness and numbness of tinubu people is highly ridiculous and acrimonious.

This is exactly the same thing his key board warriors do.
If it is not propaganda they are pushing out , it is to find one country to compare their stupidity, incompetence, emptiness and cluelessness.

This Bayo of man is a complete compound idiot of the highest proportion

Balablue brain

Shameless APC

Foolish old man.

Ekiti people, shey una don hear?

Make una package the votes deliver to them for 2027 again.

This is not south africa

Ok

Dumbass Onanuga at it again.
What's our business with SA?

Let me even indulge him.
Did SA kidnapping rate increased by 1000% within the last 8 years ?
Do mass abductors go scot-free to enjoy their loot in SA?
What parts of SA is in total/partial control of armed bandits?
Do SA violent criminal gangs post themselves committing crime online
because they fear no consequence from the state?

Is this southafrica

So we should watch security goes southy way before we make noise about it.

Why should someone be comparing a collapsed house with one which is about to collapse?

Fool.

Are we competing with south Africa in insecurity? Idiot man!

Why not compare your shithole country with south Africa in terms of electricity, good roads network and economy.

Why are APC and their supporters so idiotic?

After Frank Nweke Jnr and Labaran Maku....

All presidential appointees that held or are currently holding any office relating to information and media have been nothing but imbe-ciles and Lunatics.

It's baffling how people that saw everything wrong with Jonathan's government are now so cool with Tinubu government just because he is their tribal man or of same religion with them.

To this clueless and careless entities, if the situation is not as bad as the baddest then it's not bad at all. Ridiculous way of reasoning.

You know my happiness? This suffering going on right now, affects every damn person.
My sadness is that those that voted for a better and New Nigeria are unfortunately part of it.

You can't give what you don't have. For f*ck sake signs were everywhere.

You see this year, dead body go surplus (fact and not some kind of evil wish).

Hunger will kpai many people, people that refuse to die of hunger will pick up guns (kidnapping and robbery will be on the rise).

Even the average (mediocre) will be classified poor.
E go reach everybody.

Before I sign off, Mr Unaneva C. Anitin say make I greet you una corn warrior from Ronu squad aka suffering and smiling crew (SAS).

So this is supposed to make us feel better?

They only condem when it doesnt favour them....now that they are in charge they will go back and eat there words ...bunch of dishonourable people

You really don't deserve the leaders you have in Nigeria.

I don't know the kinda stupidity that drive this people to be making comparisons like these. Lol. They are not insecure so we shud celebrate or what?

Just say u don't av the answers or get out of there. Which one be SA has more security challenges

One of tinubu’s technocrats Onanuga sounding like a 5 year old child…but not the main issue which is that I couldn’t believe an adult in their right mind believed Tinubu could solve any of Nigeria’s problems

chokekachy:


-Onanuga is Special Adviser to the President on Information & Strategy

this shameless old man is talking nonsense..
there really no kidnappings n Fulani herdsmen killing in SA..
he must quit his post for a more serious minded person

This useless man can be very annoying.
Talking thrash