Operatives of the Nigeria Police Force recently rescued Folashade Odumosu, the wife of a former Assistant Inspector General of Police, Hakeem Odumosu.
The Ogun State Commissioner of Police, Lanre Ogunlowo, led the operation that saw to the rescue of the retired AIG’s wife.
During the operation, three of the kidnappers were reportedly neutralised.
The operatives equally allegedly recovered the ransom paid to the kidnappers as bait.
Also, the Edo State Police Command was reported to have rescued Friday Ehizojie, the traditional ruler of Udo-Eguare kingdom four days after he was kidnapped.
The traditional ruler of Udo-Eguare kingdom in Igueben Local Government Area of the state was abducted by suspected kidnappers on February 3, 2025 while on a motorbike.
“There is also a need to increase security options in terms of surveillance, deployment of personnel, increasing patrols and checkpoints and utilising technology.”
The monarch, who was a passenger on the motorbike, was kidnapped with three others, while the bike man was killed and one of the victims was said to have been freed.
On another sad note, gunmen suspected to be bandits kidnapped a former Director General of the National Youth Service Corps, Major General Mahrazu Tsiga (retired).
Tsiga was kidnapped on February 6, 2025, alongside several other residents of Tsiga village in Kankara Local Government Area of Katsina State.
A whopping sum of N250 million has been demanded as ransom by the suspected terrorists, for the release of Tsiga.
The All Progressives Congress Director of Administration at the National Secretariat in Abuja, Adekunle Adeniji, has spent about three weeks after he was kidnapped.
Adeniji was among the four residents whisked away by suspected kidnappers who invaded the Chikakore area of Kubwa, Bwari Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory on January 27.
Daredevil kidnappers have also abducted a Catholic Priest of Port Harcourt Diocese, Rev. Father Livinus Maurice, along with two others.
They were reportedly abducted while returning from a hospital visitation along the Elele-Isiokpo road in Ikwerre Local Government Area of the State on Wednesday.
To an outsider, it would seem that Nigeria is a made-up story, and to many in Nigeria, this would be a plausible explanation.
The abduction spree in Nigeria has devolved into what can now be described as a lucrative kidnap and ransom business model, such that it is reckoned with and prepared for by citizens.
This scheme now operates with clinical precision involving serial abductions and steep ransom demands from the kidnappers.
The National Bureau of Statistics revealed that no fewer than 614,937 Nigerians were killed and 2,235,954 others kidnapped across the country between May 2023 and April 2024.
The NBS disclosed this in December 2024 in its report titled ‘The Crime Experienced and Security Perception Survey (CESPS) 2024’, and based on the surveys conducted between May 2023 and April 2024.
The report disclosed that the 2.2 million Nigerians were kidnapped across the country while N2.2 trillion was paid as ransom, an average amount of N2.7 million per incident.
The report disclosed that murder rate was highest in rural areas with 335,827 incidents and 279,110 in urban areas.
A zone-by-zone analysis of the report showed that the North West had the highest murder cases (206,030), followed by the North East (188,992); while the least was recorded in the South West (15,693).
Mass kidnappings have become a defining theme in Nigeria with citizens, corporations and civil society organisations slowly adjusting to what can now be defined as a new normal.
Truly, with the insulation of citizens from these incidents and the fast-paced adaptation that is sweeping public discourse, one would not be wrong to ask, is Nigeria fiction? Or an alternate reality?
Looking at the pervading fear of insecurity and its disappearance in public discourse, the government as the primary custodian of Nigeria’s security must reclaim its standing from elements challenging its sovereignty, stability, and existence.
The first step to correcting the anomaly of mass abductions in Nigeria lies in improving Nigeria’s security architecture.
A general rule in political philosophy is that the state must have a monopoly on violence. This means that the state is the only entity with a legitimate right to use physical force within its territory. This rule is upheld as a standard category for a state and if a country fails in this aspect there is a break out of anarchy.
To secure Nigeria, security measures must be localized and translated across the board. The clamour for state and community-based policing initiatives is relevant and can serve as a necessary intervention in combating insurgency.
There is also a need to increase security options in terms of surveillance, deployment of personnel, increasing patrols and checkpoints and utilising technology.
Particularly, the armed forces must be reinforced with adequate equipment and ammunition for the task. This would require procuring ammunition and regulating arms smuggling in the nation.
Wars are not won in isolation and the existence of guerilla tactics also proves that wars are not won solely by numbers.
Curbing insurgency requires improved information gathering and intelligence analysis. Identifying networks, monitoring channels and tracking the movements of terrorists and kidnappers must be prioritised.
Perhaps one of Nigeria’s flaws in the war against insurgency has been relying on sheer military might and neglect of strategies and channels where these activities are carried out.
Equally, security agencies, local stakeholders and communities must collaborate actively in addressing kidnappings. Adequate preparation strategies and surveillance of areas of interest must be looked into as well.
Providing victim support services and raising awareness of kidnappings are also proactive responses. Given the prevalence of mass abductions, sensitisation, and orientation programmes should be held for communities on ways to identify, protect against and report suspicious activities in their environments.
Ultimately, these measures only serve as “stop-gap” initiatives and will not solve the problem of terrorism and kidnapping in its entirety.
Underlying issues such as poverty, unemployment and other socio-economic factors must be addressed. Mediation and amelioration programmes must also be encouraged to provide solutions. Central issues such as political corruption, government incompetence and weak legal reforms must also be addressed, to nip this monster in.