The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has sounded the alarm on the escalating wave of kidnappings across the country, which has turned abductions into a multi-billion Naira commercial enterprise.
Citing data from the Armed Conflict Location and Events Data Project (ACLED), HURIWA revealed that Nigeria accounts for more than half of all abductions in West Africa. Of the 4,074 recorded abductions from organized political violence between 2019 and 2023, 52% occurred in Nigeria.
Addressing journalists in Abuja, HURIWA’s National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, urged security chiefs to take immediate and decisive action to curb the menace. Onwubiko stressed that kidnapping has become a national crisis, affecting all six geopolitical zones, each grappling with various conflicts that fuel the abduction industry.
Onwubiko detailed the widespread nature of the crisis:
- The North-East faces terrorism from ISWAP and Boko Haram.
- The North-West is plagued by criminal-style bandits.
- The North-Central struggles with farmer-herder conflicts and ethnic and religious tensions.
- The South-West, once known for its peace, now deals with resource conflicts.
- The South-South confronts rising piracy, oil bunkering, and cultism.
- The South-East is battling secessionist agitations impacting its economy and security.
He emphasized that kidnapping is a common strategy used by various conflict actors to gain attention and achieve their goals, whether for bolstering numbers or financial gain through ransoms. The financial implications are significant, funding criminal networks and making them more sophisticated, with individuals and communities paying billions of Naira in ransom.
“The financial implications of kidnapping are as significant as those of oil theft, funding criminal networks and making them more sophisticated. Consequently, individuals and communities pay billions of Naira in ransom to secure the release of their loved ones,” Onwubiko stated.
He highlighted that the North-West region, particularly Kaduna and Katsina states, has been the hardest hit, followed closely by the North-Central region, including the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
