Kidnap-for-Ransom: Bad omen for investment in Southwest

The narratives of kidnapping in Nigeria have become coloured with dynamics which recently have thrown winds of concerns into the atmosphere. While the aim for the escapades may have differed over time as a long social ill, it is more apparent that the phenomenon more recently has assumed the kidnap-for-ransom dimension. The historical context of this brand of kidnapping may well be traced to the days of grievances of Niger Delta  struggles with militants, who, in protest of the degradation of their environment, and demand for amnesty, turned to kidnapping of expatriates in return for ransom to secure their release. Although, the response to the demands by amnesty had settled seated grievances stemming down the waves of the struggles, the roots of the escapades have extended to germinate in newer dimensions across other parts of the Country. The recent turn of bandits in the Northern part of the Country to large-scale kidnap-for-ransom venture has recently reignited the narratives of the menace.

While the escapades of the menace by bandits in the Northern part of the Country have assumed wild dimensions, issues of the extending roots of the phenomenon have remained a top concern for the Southwest geopolitical zone in the Southern region, owing to the need to keep trend in check, such that the menace does not aggravate as a mayhem in the zone.  Although, the Southeast and Southsouth have been known to have had their fair share of kidnap-for-ransom, a development still taking fair course in the zones, situations in the Southwest recently appear to be giving reflections of the germination of the menace gradually taking course of extension in the zone. Recent reports of kidnap with ransom demands have continued to generate light traffic recently. On Tuesday, shocking report of the alleged abduction of Air Vice Marshal, Sikiru Smith (retd.), by masked gunmen in the Ajah area of Lagos State had hit the ground. Lagos which is not too known for such high profile dimension of the menace may have been caught unawares as Smith who is a cousin to a former Inspector-General of Police and current Chairman of the Police Service Commission, Musiliu Smith, was reportedly supervising work on a site in the Ajah area of Lagos State on Monday when the masked gunmen invaded the site shooting sporadically, after which he was whisked away in a waiting speedboat and sped away after his struggle with the gunmen failed.

A reported SOS voice shared by his driver, Corporal Odiji, following the abduction stated: “This is an emergency. I am Corporal Odiji attached to Air Vice Marshal Smith. They just abducted him from the site where we were working. Some gunmen who were wearing masks just came and snatched my boss now. They shot everywhere. I was near where I was fixing my boss’ vehicle. As I was coming, I saw them leaving in a boat but I wasn’t armed so I just ran to the site and I saw his glasses and where he struggled with them. Please pass this information. It is an emergency.”

Kidnapping in the neighbouring state, Ogun, has recently been generating traffic. Suspected Fulani herdsmen who abducted a pregnant woman, and two other victims in Ogun forest recently, had subsequently demanded N10million each for the release of the victims.  The victims were reportedly kidnapped penultimate Sunday along the Igbo-Ora-Sokoto Road while going to visit their friend in the Abeokuta-North Local Government Area of Ogun State. It was reported that the kidnappers laid ambush for the victims around the area, known as Karigo. The kidnappers following the abduction reached out to the family members of the victims two days after (Tuesday, September 22) demanding N10m from each of them.

In Ekiti, two lovers kidnapped penultimate Sunday, less than a week to their wedding, had their plans disrupted as they only regained their freedom from the gunmen last Thursday,  few hours to their engagement and wedding ceremony slated for Friday 24th and Saturday 25th. It was reported the two lovers were freed around Ayedun area of Ekiti State after payment of ransom. The duo reportedly became victims of the ugly development on returning from Ado Ekiti, the state capital, where they had gone to shop ahead of their wedding when they were abducted at a bad portion of the road along Ilasa Ekiti-Ayebode Ekiti Road in the Ekiti East Local Government area of the state.

The narratives of the expansive trend of the  menace to other parts of the Country began to assume the reflection of complexity when in April, some masked men reportedly descended on some Fulani folks in Oke Ogun area of Oyo State, abducted two persons within the space of four days, and demanded N10 million and N3 million from each of their victims. It is incontestable that the roving reports on increasing abductions recently taking course across the Southwest are reflections of the extending roots of the menace of kidnap-for-ransom within the zone. It is known that other zones where the menace has remained an eyesore have had bad narratives of insecurity profile which have coloured cohabitation with fear and panic; a development which remains hostile to economic activities. It is known that the turbulence of insecurity, of which kidnap-for-ransom constitute one major brand, constitute a social ill which by and large threatens businesses and constitute scare to investors.

The resultant impacts of the menace, beyond social turbulence, pose grave challenges to economic well being. The escalation and heightening of kidnap-for-ransom is largely unsavoury for the socio-economic configuration of the Southwest, particularly Lagos and Ogun, known for industrial activities. The threats such menace pose to the economy are deep seated. At a time when Foreign Direct Investment is largely significant to revamp the wobbling dysfunctions of the economy, the subject of the heightening menace of kidnap-for-ransom constitutes deforming strings with daunting forces to deter foreigners from initiating new developments and extending their investment base across the region. The debilitating impacts of same to domestic businesses would not less be unsavoury. It is pertinent for the Government within the zone to coordinate efforts to clampdown on the menace. It is imperative for such measures to be directed along pragmatic moves coordinated within systemic formations which accommodate efforts appealing to zonal coordination as well as peculiar demands within state jurisdictions.