Latitude in mass kidnapping in Nigeria is matter of concern

Nigeria: Mass kidnapping of 279 schoolgirls in the country’s Zamfara state is a matter of concern. Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari ordered security agents “to shoot individual and individuals seen carrying AK-47s in any forest in the nation.”

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari also demanded a ban on “all mining exercises in State Zamfara, as well as the forcing of a no-fly zone over the town.”

Criminal gangs, mentioned locally as “bandits,” have risen, which are suspected to be involved in kidnappings, rapes, and other unlawful activities across central and northern Nigeria.  

What do kidnappers want?

It is suspected that these kidnappers may want money or be driven by financial motives to kidnap children and others. A mass abduction in April 2014 by Boko Haram observed 276 girls seized from secondary school in Chibok at Borno state.

The increase in kidnappings is not just a threat, but it is horrifying and creating the government under pressure to act. Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari ordered new security chiefs to revive security.

Killing of Villagers

Recent reports revealed armed bandits had murdered 15 people in Amarawa — a small village at the border of Nigeria and Niger — during the early hours of March 1.

The assassin perpetrators are often groups of bandits taking advantage of inadequate schemes and the easy availability of firearms. The banditry violence began as a farmer-herder dispute in 2011 and intensified between 2017–2018 to comprises cattle rustling, kidnapping for ransom, sexual violence, and killings.

About 21 million individuals living in Nigeria’s Zamfara, Kaduna, Niger, Sokoto, Kebbi, and Katsina lands are hugely influenced.

Concern

Nigeria’s leading geopolitical intelligence platform, SBM Intel says, these criminal groups often target those individuals who have the potential to pay a large ransom, but sometimes they have been observed that carry out several more attacks and demand lower ransom than expected per victim ransom amounts of around $1,000.

On the other hand, Bandits often complain that the central and state administrations abandoned them in these last 20 years, explaining there were limitations on grazing rights. These kidnappers observe victims as a source of income which is inappropriate.

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