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By Emman Ovuakporie
It is absurd but the truth that kidnapping in Nigeria has become so lucrative and within a period of ten years it has generated $18.34million into the pockets of kidnappers across the country.
TheNewsGuru.com, (TNG) in this report based on an extensive research carried out by SBMorgan entitled: Kidnap Problems in Nigeria: The Economics of the Kidnap Industry in Nigeria revealed the underbelly of the menace of kidnapping that has turned into a national disgrace.
In the report, the Niger Delta Region appears to be worst hit among ten states that have high prevalence of the burgeoning kidnapping industry.
Three states in the region according to the report have the highest number of kidnap incidents namely: Bayelsa, Delta and Rivers.
See statistics below;
*Rivers-120
*Delta-96
*Bayelsa-85
Other states with high prevalence of kidnap incidents looking into ten states across Nigeria between June 2011- March 2020 include;
Rivers-120
Kaduna-117
Delta-96
Bayelsa-85
Borno-82
Kogi-59
Edo-55
Ondo-54
Katsina-52
Taraba-47
Read Report Below:
Insecurity in Nigeria has risen sharply in the last few years. In every region of the country, there are at least two major security crises, and we have reached a point where the Nigerian military was, as of December 2019, deployed on policing duties in every state of the country bar Kebbi and the FCT.
The Boko Haram insurgency marked a decade in 2019 and has coloured much of the security atmosphere in the last decade. In the North West and North Central, pastoral conflict
between farmers and herders have led to increasing hostilities.
Youth gang violence is rife in the three geopolitical zones of the south, as well as armed robbery and sea piracy in the South West and South East. In all of these, the spate of kidnapping is a feature in all parts of the country. Kidnap for ransom is a lucrative business in Nigeria as the case of Chukwudi Dumee Onuamadike, better known as “Evans‘, as well as Hamisu Bala Wadume who operated out of the North East until he was arrested in 2019.
Military Operations (Exercise & Region)
MILITARY OPERATIONS IN NIGERIA
For years, following the increasing spate of insecurity across the
federation, the Nigerian military has been actively involved in one
operation or another is no less than 35 status in the federation.
Tsafan Daji
North West
Sokoto, Kaduna Zamfara
AYEM AKPATUMA II
North Central and parts of North Western states
Benue, Nasarawa, Kogi, Taraba, Kaduna, Niger
EXPLANATION
EGWU EKE IV – 5 STATES WITH OPERATION
EGWU EKE IV EXERCISE – NO MILITARY EXERCISE
1 STATE PLUS ABUJA WITH NO MILITARY EXERCISE
LAFIYA DOLE 4 STATES WITH OPERATION
LAFIYA DOLE EXERCISE
CROCODILE SMILE IV
12 STATES WITH OPERATION
CROCODILE SMILE IV
AYAM AKPATUMA II 13 STATES WITH OPERATION
AYEM AKPATUMA II EXERCISE N/A
BAUCHI STATES HAS MILITARY PRESENCE BUT WITH NO
SBM Intelligence analysed data covering the period from June 2011
to the end of March 2020 using a collection of public sources, police and media reports, as well as SBM’s extensive research network spread across the country.
What we have found shows that between June 2011 and the end of March 2020, at least $18.34 million has been paid to kidnappers as ransom. Even more frightening is that the larger proportion of that figure (just below $11 million), was paid out between January 2016 and March 2020, indicating that kidnapping is becoming more lucrative.
In terms of the absolute number of reported kidnap incidents, four
of the top 10 states with a high number of kidnap incidents over the
last decade are in the South-South geopolitical zone, with three of
them, Bayelsa, Delta and Rivers being a part of the Niger Delta. These
three are also the states with the strongest history of Niger Delta
militancy.
Kaduna – the state with the second-highest number of incidents – also has a significant history of violence, especially along its connecting road to Abuja. While it is not in the top 10, Abuja has the 11th highest number of kidnap incidents over the last decade, and there is anecdotal evidence that some of the perpetrators responsible for Kaduna’s high rate of kidnap attempts have extended their operations into the federal capital.
