Yuletide: Nigerians jittery over incessant kidnappings on highways

As the year 2024 gradually draws to an end and Nigerians embark on end of year holiday plans, there are concerns about incessant kidnappings on the highways across the country.

The situation is worsened by the astronomical increase in the price of flight tickets, making that option a no-go-area for the average Nigerian.

Voicing his concern about the development, the Director General, African Writers’ Centre, Lagos, Amah. A. Amah called on the Federal Government to take urgent and decisive action to stem the tide of incessant kidnapping on the highways.

This, he said, the government could achieve by establishing a Forest Guard.

He was particular about kidnapping along the North-South corridor, where several incidents of kidnapping have happened this year.

He lamented that travel from the South to Northern Nigeria corridor has become so precarious that most passengers say their last prayers before embarking on such trips, as there is hardly a week without incidents of kidnapping on this highway.

He chronicled such ugly incidents within the year, thus: “The most recent victims were the passengers on a popular transport company; God is Good Motors (GIGM), travelling along this very important and commercially viable corridor.

“According to reports, all the 14 passengers travelling on the bus from Port Harcourt to Abuja were abducted when gunmen attacked the vehicle around Obajana, just after the Dangote Refinery at Obajana heading to Lokoja in Kogi State on Saturday, November 30, 2024.

“The unknown gunmen reportedly kidnapped the passengers on the bus. It was only the driver that escaped. Available information as at the time of filing this report was that the kidnappers had demanded N100 million as ransom to secure the release of each of the passengers.

“On Saturday, February 3, this year, 12 passengers of GIGM and two of the ABC Transport were kidnapped in Kogi on the same highway. The passengers were en-route Abuja from Abia State and were attacked by the armed men along the Kogi State Expressway.

“Much as the 14 abducted passengers later regained freedom after about five days, they suffered untold hardship, as well as deep emotional and psychological trauma. It wasn’t clear if the ransom of N15 million, which the kidnappers demanded on each of the passengers to secure their release, was paid or not.”

“Also, sometime in early August this year, the Anambra State Commissioner for Youths Development, Patrick Agha Mba and his wife were kidnapped on their way to Abuja to attend the wedding of the daughter of Anambra State Governor, Prof. Charles Chukwuma Soludo, in Abuja. Mba and his wife, who later regained freedom were said to have been kidnapped in Kogi State as well.

“Around mid-August this year also, gunmen kidnapped about 20 medical students from the University of Maiduguri and the University of Jos along the Otukpo, Benue – Enugu Road in Benue State. The medical students, who were abducted while travelling to attend the Federation of Catholic Medical and Dental Students (FCMDS) Annual Convention in Enugu were released after about 10 days.

“On Friday, October 11, 2024, GIGM suffered the same fate when 13 of its passengers were again kidnapped on a journey along Abuja – Port Harcourt route. The passengers were travelling from GIGM Utako Terminal in Abuja to Port Harcourt, Rivers State. According to reports, including the bus driver’s account, all the passengers, except a nursing mother whose baby was crying incessantly, were kidnapped,” he told DAILY POST.

He lamented that there were also so many unreported cases, including loss of lives on these highways and other corridors in Nigeria, stressing that the ugly trend is not specific to the North – South corridor, since it also happens on most of the highways in Nigeria, where vehicles have to traverse large expanses of forested areas that are unmanned and unguarded.

He, therefore, wondered how long the Federal Government would wait before establishing the Nigeria Forest Security Service (NFSS) for dedicated manning of the forested areas, to smoke out the criminals and ensure security and safety of Nigerians, especially travelers.

He expressed confidence that with the government’s backing for the NFSS through an enabling Act of the National Assembly; the unmanned forests would no longer be a no-man’s land, as they would be under 24 hours’ surveillance and dedicated guard by security officers and men of the NFSS.

“The NFSS had earlier indicated that it has a strategic plan to, not just maintain full presence and guard in all forests, but also ensure a clear view of all highways in the forested areas by clearing 10 metres on both sides of the expressway to discourage any sudden attack or ambush of motorists.

“The mood of Nigerians is that the Federal Government should expedite action on the NFSS Bill on the floor of the National Assembly as a panacea to save Nigerians from terrorism, kidnapping, banditry and all forms of crimes that ungoverned and unmanned forests have cocooned in Nigeria.

“Among many other regrettable consequences, some of the negative impacts of these incidents that have become rampant are that there are many unaccounted loss of lives, Nigeria’s international image is being battered daily as a very unsafe country for business and investment.

“The unfortunate situation gives a strange impression to citizens and the international community that the Federal Government cannot protect lives and properties in the country.

“There is health related stress, as well as deep emotional and psychological trauma to the victims and their families, huge revenues are lost through payments of ransom, the road transport business is being threatened and the corporate image of affected companies are being smeared,” he stated.

Similarly, a university don, Professor Ugwu Anthony of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Anambra State, believes that apart from establishing forest guards, it is also very important to install CCTV cameras along the highways and at various security checkpoints, particularly in the South Eastern parts of the country, where he alleged that security agents fleece the innocent travelers.

“A journey from Onitsha to Nnewi by bus will expose the horrible practice of extortion as policemen and agents of soldiers are seen collecting money from drivers.

“This is a negative trend that should not be allowed to continue. And that is what obtains along other major highways in the entire South East.

“Recall that the Force Public Relations Officer, FPRO, in a recent reaction to the allegations by drivers that police extort money from them, thereby leading to an increase in the cost of transportation and cost of food, urged the drivers’ union to work with the police to stop this trend.

“In the same vein, I want to call on the Inspector General of Police, IGP, the Chief of Defence Staff and Minister of Interior to mount CCTV cameras at every checkpoint in Nigeria, particularly those along the highways in the South East.

“The National Assembly should make a law that would criminalise activities in any checkpoint without a CCTV camera.

“This will offer a two-pronged approach to fighting criminalities on our highways. One, it will stop the security agents from extorting innocent travelers and transporters, thereby reducing the cost of transport and the cost of essential food being transported from the North to the South almost on a daily basis.

“Secondly, it would help to monitor the criminal activities of bandits and kidnappers on the highways. When they know that cameras are out there to pick them up and track their movement, they would have to think twice before embarking on such criminal activities.

“Thirdly, it would equally take care of the allegation of complicity by some security personnel. The allegation that some security personnel connive with these criminals to carry out their nefarious activities would either be proven or debunked once and for all.

“So, the government should act decisively as we approach the Christmas season when many people would be travelling to their homeland.

“We don’t want to hear about this continued abduction or extortion of innocent travelers,” he told DAILY POST.