Kidnapping epidemic: Insiders have hands in Nigeria’s security crisis – Afenifere

January 28, 2024

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Kidnapping epidemic: Insiders have hands in Nigeria’s security crisis – Afenifere

The pan-Yoruba socio-cultural and political organisation, Afenifere, has alleged that some insiders may be responsible for the lingering security crisis in the country particularly the ravaging kidnapping for ransom.

The organisation called on President Ahmed Bola Tinubu, to urgently convene a community/stakeholders meeting to tackle the increasing insecurity in the country.

In a statement issued by the organisation’s National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Jare Ajayi, Afenifere submitted that the tenor of the phenomenon “suggests that insiders have a hand in it”.

“By insiders, we mean people who have a relationship one way or the other with kidnap victims. In other words, the masterminds of this dastardly act, or their collaborators, could be family members, business associates or those with whom the victim has a social relationship.

“Some security experts have also suggested that some unscrupulous security personnel might be involved, as attested to by a former General Officer Commanding, GOC, 1 Mechanized Division, Kaduna of the Nigerian Army, Major General Ali-Keffi, in his recent letter to President Bola Tinubu”.

“Information has it that perpetrators of these heinous acts have informants who had or have something to do with the victims.

“A point that was also made by Mr. Nyesome Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, last week.

“But situations do occur where terrorists (in fake security uniforms) ambush travellers on highways, such as the ones that happened on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Abuja-Kaduna Highway, Ikere-Iju-Iwaraja Routes in Ekiti State and so on and so forth.

“Even where terrorists attack communities, such as the ones that took place in Benue, Plateau, Borno, Niger, Sokoto, Nassarawa states among others, such were carried out by those who are familiar with residents of the communities involved.

“Otherwise, it would not be easy for outsiders to know how to navigate the territory.”

Citing the recent kidnap incidents in Otu, Saki and Okaka in Oke-ogun area of Oyo State, incessant abductions in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, sacking of communities in Niger State, Afenifere spokesman asserted that there were indications that some of these incidents had signatures of insiders as conspirators or collaborators, if not masterminds.