Nigeria's kidnapping crisis: Dem suppose ban ransom payments?

As pesin wey don pay ransom three times to comot im family for kidnapper hand, Nigerian businessman Lawal Ado no too happy with moves to ban payment to kidnappers,

One bill don dey cause plenti kasala for di konri and na for move to make am criminal offense to pay ransom so as to reduce di draw into di kidnapping business for di kontri.

Di proposal na to jail any pesin wey pay for up to 15 years.

Oga Ado say im two daughters bin dey drive with police convoy for Buruku road, Kaduna state, wey dey notorious for criminal gang, wen dem kidnap dem for December.

Dem dey kidnappers hand for 15 weeks until im pay 10m naira ($24,000, £19,000) in cash, na wetin e tell BBC.

Few years later, dem kidnap im wife from im house for Kaduna city and na 700,000 naira make dem release am.

Dem kidnap im mama when she dey go her village also for Kaduna state and na with 300,000 naira, di kidnappers take free am.

Oga Ado tok say wen you see say men wey carry gun dey threaten di lives of your loved ones, you no get choice but to drop money.

Lawmakers wan ban ransom only because "dem neva get family member wey dem kidnap", na wetin im add.

But lawmakers dey argue say dat kai payments na im dey ginger di kidnap industry wia criminal gangs go just tiff pipo and ask for anytin from $50 to $1m.

Since 2011, kidnappers don make at least $18m, with almost half of di money, na between 2016 and 2020 dem make am.

Dis naa wetin SBM Intelligence wey be think-tank for Lagos dey report.

Detective superintendent Eguaoje Funmilayo from Federal Criminal Investigations Department (FCID) say families dey fear to involve police and go just pay ransom instead, wey be something wey police no dey ike make pipo do.

For rare sucess, police announce say dem gbab two alleged oga wey organize di kidnap of some university students wey dia parents bin cough out 200m naira so dem go free dem, earlier dis month.

Senator Ezenwa Onyewuchi - wey propose di bill say kidnapping don turn, "di most deadly kind of banditry for Nigeria, e don become di most common and uncontrollable crime for di kontri."

Di bill don pass upper chamber and go now enta lower house.

No place dey safe from kidnap gangs but dem plenti pass for Northern Nigeria. Ova di years dem don target airports, railways, military barracks and religious places

Families of pipo wey dem kidnap dey most times sell property, collect loan from bank and crowdfund so dem go fit raise ransom.

Di victims wey no pay ransom sometines dey killed, tori dey sat dem dey comot dia human organs carry sell.

Usman Mbaekwe, wey spend five days for forest for southern Nigeria afta dem attack di bus im dey inside say, security forces no even try at all to save am. Dem free am afta im wife raise 1m naira (£2,000, $2,400).

For tori wey be like dem tiff am from Nollywood feem, dem carry di pipo wey gt di cash for road wey lead from Lagos to Sapele, inside di Niger Delta, wey dem tell dem to drop di money for side of road, na wetin im tok.

Kontris like US and UK no dey pay ransom to kidnappers, say di best way to stop kidnapping na to stop di ginger.

But for kontris like France, Germany, Spain and Italy, tori be say dem don pay millions of dollars to free dia citizens wey African jaguda pipo hold or elsewhere.

Tori be say even Nigerian federal goment don drop correct money give kidnappers before, like give Boko Haram so dem go free some of di Chibok girls dem kidnap for 2014, as Kastina sef drop money for di di release of schoolboys dem kidnap for 2020.

More recently, na di attack for di Abuja-Kaduna train for March. At least eight pipo die and tori be say 60 pipo dey di gunmen hand.

Di kidnappers no ask for ransom but dey ask oda tins from goment, wey dey boost tok say to stop ransom no go end kidnapping.

Imran Rufai wey im broda dey train attacker hand say "payment of ransom no be di problem, na kidnapping"

Zara Aliyu, wey also get train kidnapped broda, gree say, "you only fit pass dat kain bill if beta security dey".

E no clear weda President Muhammadu Buhari support di bill, but e don tok against ransom payment last year.

E say, make state goment review dia policy wey det "reward bandits with money and vehicles", as im ask for patience to handle di kasala.

Oga Buhari say, "we get capacity to move ogbonge force for bandits for di village wey dem dey operate, but na fear of heavy casualties of innocent villagers and hostages dey hold us".



Read full article