Freedom at a Cost

In certain communities in Nigeria, safety depends on how much one can pay. Rural locations and highways are incessantly raided by bandits and gunmen alike. The continued existence of many people is largely proportionate to their ability to pay ransom being demanded by their assailants. For example, abductors of over 55 people in a community in Niger state are demanding ₦1 million each for the victims. The community had earlier pledged ₦5 million, but it was rejected. Across the country, securing the release of many kidnap victims has required ransom payment. According to a report, the cost of kidnapping in Nigeria is put at $11 million between 2016 and 2020.

Many Nigerians are paying for their freedom and safety. Ideally, the social contract between the state and society means that citizens will relinquish some of their rights in return for state protection. However, this is not entirely the case globally. In Nigeria, lives and livelihoods have been lost to non-state armed groups’ attacks. As a result, many people have paid to secure their freedom. This is happening despite re-echoed commitment to protect lives. For example, in 2021, the world witnessed the massive kidnapping of school children in northwest and north-central Nigeria. Although they have been released, the government have either kept mum about paying a ransom or denied it outrightly.

Payment for freedom means many uncomfortable scenarios for Nigeria. First, the state cannot guarantee the protection of its citizens. Second, people may be lucky to be released from captivity only if they can afford the required ransom. Third, proceeds from unaddressed ransom kidnap incidents will aid the activities of non-state armed groups. Fourth, there is a growing narrative that the state cannot uphold the social contract. Hence, the emergence of self-defence militias groups and protests against insecurity.

Nigeria must rise against ransom kidnap. Government should be more proactive in addressing the kidnapping crisis, especially the ransom kidnap. There is a need to improve the security framework in all the violent flashpoints nationwide. If the security situation is improved, it will reduce the risks of abduction and the chances of ransom payment. Ransom kidnap is the new strategy adopted by bandits to access funds for bandits’ violence. The Nigerian government must be proactive in securitisation efforts that will help avoid the current trend of large-scale kidnapping violence and potential sources for funding criminal networks.

Government must step up to these challenges or be prepared to go down. The inefficiency of state apparatus in protecting citizens will likely worsen as the portal to self and group armed defence widens. According to the United Nations Special Representative to West Africa, there are reports of alleged abuses by volunteer groups and self-defence militias by communities. Also, terrorists are capitalising on the state’s absence in peripheral areas to exploit the ‘latent ethnic animosities’. In these developments, government must step up to re-establish the presence and control of the peripheral regions that have become hotspots for violence and conflict.

From news reports, kidnapping gangs operate from hidden locations such as thick forests, abandoned houses and many ungoverned spaces. Nigeria must re-establish government presence in rural areas. Internal and external border management protocols should be improved to monitor illegal points that aid criminals to evade capture. It is also time to pay more attention to community policing in helping to bring government presence and security to inaccessible communities in Nigeria. Every day, kidnapping rapidly becomes a general problem, affecting everyone and every region. Proactive and reactive efforts must be put in place to arrest the disturbing trends.