The level of insecurity in Nigeria is mind-boggling! The rate of kidnapping is so high that the probability of being kidnapped is a clear and present danger. Kidnapping rules in Nigeria nowadays, from Kaduna to Kano, Abuja to Lokoja, Enugu to Okigwe, Asaba to Warri, Benin to Ijebu-Ode! Everywhere! Kidnappers rule! Kidnapping is a whole sector on its own now.
A report released early this year posits that ransom paid in 2024 across Nigeria, was well over 200bn Naira! The threat of being kidnapped is so high that folks have resorted to boarding flights where they can, or not travelling at all unless if absolutely necessary! Yours sincerely does exactly that too; if I could avoid a trip, I stay at home. Trouble no good!
It’s however rather fascinating, that in spite of the preponderance of kidnapping, and the exposure of the hapless citizens to these bandit terrorists from the Sahel, the Nigerian Police seems absolutely unconcerned! We have an inspector general of police, AIGs, COS, DPOs, and and about 500,000 officers in the rank and file. We see them along the roads checking vehicle particulars and mostly, harassing travellers.
And I ask myself thus: “We have serious insecurity due to the activities of kidnappers but the Nigerian Police is more concerned with vehicle particulars”! How ridiculous! What is the impact of expired vehicle papers to the Nigerian state, and the destruction of the food supply chain and rural economies by these Sahelian bandit terrorists?
Which is more pressing? The Nigerian Police have refused to set up a program to combat insecurity! The Ministry of Interior has no program to combat kidnappers. The CPs in states are doing nothing about it. The DPOs are unconcerned about the kidnappers. The state governments are rather lukewarm towards the insecurity, the Federal Government doesn’t even have plans…neither do they show any concern about the insecurity wrought by these kidnappers from the Sahel.
So, who should be in charge? Exactly who is in charge of Nigeria? Why are the institutions of government so unconcerned about the prevalent insecurity? Is there something we don’t know? Maybe there’s something…afterall, some northern elements of the APC confessed that they invited Sahelians into the country at the time, for election purposes. Yes, we understand these elements mostly control the kidnapping industry!
Related: Outrage in Abua, Rivers State: Police Arrest Victim’s Mother After Foiling Kidnapping
But shall we continue to hold our hands and keep watching while these terrorists decimate all the local communities across Nigeria? Rural Nigeria makes up 60% of the population. Rural farmers are the very source of 85% of our food supply! And the rural communities are being invaded by these terrorists, the little they manage to produce cannot be easily transported to the market centers for fear of being kidnapped, most farmers have quit the farms as they’re being slaughtered, some communities have been abandoned for fear of terrorists and kidnappers!
But everyone is quiet! And the Nigerian Police are pulling a budget and being paid salaries! What exactly is the use of the do-nothing Nigerian Police? The president is so uninterested in fixing the insecurity but just after power and more power! What exactly is the use of power if it couldn’t be employed to engineer societal peace, creation of collective wealth and national development? Why exactly would one seek to be a public officer and then ignore the citizens?
Dear Friends, if we don’t want Nigeria to be anymore, let’s close it and we all go home! The politicians might embezzle all they want, as we have zero control over them, but at least, they owe us the duty of security! And if they refuse to protect us, then we should have arms legalised, so we all arm ourselves, and slug it out with the terrorists! As things stand, Nigeria is playing with fire, while the APC is romancing gunpowder! It is morbidly fascinating!
