Kidnapping which sends goose pimples on the bodies of the wealthy in the country and also pump more adrenalin into their system started as a genuine protest by various militants in the oil rich Niger-Delta region. They engaged the Federal Government in arms struggle to protest what they described as the neglect of the region by both the military and civilian governments, who they claimed had neglected the region for years despite the fact that the country's major source of revenue, oil, is on a large scale exploited in their land.

The militants, who were equipped with sophisticated weapons, usually invaded oil installations in the creeks where they kidnap both expatriate and indigenous oil workers, who regained their freedom after state governor of the state where they were kidnapped waded in to negotiate on behalf of the oil company, whose staff was forcefully seized by the militants.

Sometimes, people were made to believe by the negotiating governor that he paid nothing to get the kidnapped workers freed. But some sources close to the government houses disclosed that the government actually parted with some reasonable amount of money before the captives were set free, but that the government prefer to be silent over such payment.

After sometime, criminals, who are out to make money by all means joined the kidnapping saga, which they now turned into a source of high profile revenue, while still claiming to be genuine militants fighting for the emancipation of the Niger-Delta region from total neglect of the Federal Government in terms of development.

In fact, armed robbers, who saw kidnapping as less hazardous than the very risky business of armed robbery, where they sometimes had to engage security agents in fierce gun battle that in some cases claimed many lives, quickly abandoned armed robbery and embraced kidnapping where they bounce on unsuspecting armless wealthy civilians.

Gradually, what began as a problem of the Niger-Delta region started gaining prominence in other parts of the country, with the South-East region leading the new converts into the criminal world of kidnappers.

Hardly any month passes without the sad news of a prominent Nigerian or their relation being kidnapped with the criminals placing huge ransom on their victims.

The lists of those kidnapped in recent time are many and might even get longer before the end of the year as these criminals, hiding under the title of kidnappers, are also gearing up to celebrate Christmas and new year in a big way at the expense and comfort of innocent people.

Just to mention a few, among those who have become victims of kidnapping are veteran actors, Messer Pete Edochie and Nkem Owoh, the kid of the speaker, Imo State House of Assembly, Hon. Goodluck Opia, Chairman of Enyimba Football Club, Aba, Mr. Anyansi Agwu, Pa Simeon Soludo, the father of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Anambra State, and former Central Bank of Nigeria governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo, and Hon Joe Dimobi representing Anaocha 11 Constituency in Anambra House of Assembly, all from the South-East geo- political zone.

From the South- South, prominent victims was the wife of the Bayelsa State Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Gideon Ekiowei and from the north was the Kaduna State Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Waje Yayok.

All these victims did not just regain their freedom for free as various amount of money was placed on their heads before they were released.

That this ugly trend of kidnapping has now assumed national spread, it becomes worrisome on how to tackle the monster with all seriousness in order to ensure that our citizens move about their normal business without fear that the occupants of the next vehicle by their side could be dreaded kidnappers.

More especially, as the Christmas is 29 days away, travelers, who had already concluded arrangements to move to their villages for the festive period shall not fall victims to faceless kidnappers, who will target the rich people, who came from the city to have a nice time with their people.

Today, some state governments worried over the negative image kidnapping has brought to their domain because of this they enact laws through their state houses of assemblies in order to arrest the ugly situation that has not only brought shame to the country but is seriously causing image problem for citizens abroad.

In Rivers State for instance, kidnapping is punishable by life sentence, a situation which made the governor, Rt. Hon. Rotimi Amaechi to declare that "This is a law that everybody has been expecting, we shall without delay begin its implementation."

Also elated by the law against kidnapping, the president of Rumuokwurusi Youth Movement, Port Harcourt, and Mr. Sunny Amadi said "I see kidnapping as sabotage. If you know the Rivers people, we are very proud people. I don't think that any right thinking person from Rivers is part of this kidnapping business."

Perhaps disturbed that the kid of the speaker and some honourable members were kidnapped, the Imo State House of Assembly passed a bill into law making kidnapping punishable by death sentence.

Harsh as this law may be especially against the background that some human rights activists have started campaigning for the abolition of death sentence in Nigeria, a businessman from the east, Mr. Ndubuisi Onwuzurike said "No matter how harsh any person might look at the bill passed into law by the Imo State House of Assembly, it is to me the most important law from that House in recent times because for those of us from the South-East where those criminals, who masquerade as kidnappers terrorise the wealthy individuals, we are very happy for this law. We only hope that it shall be implemented for us to walk around without fear of the next persons or vehicles near you."

Miss Beatrice Ikegwu disclosed that a situation where kidnapping has turned to be very lucrative business needs more than laws to exterminate these criminals from our environment.

According to her, "One of those, who participated in the kidnap of retired Lt. General Peter Ademokhai confessed to the General that he had at least N600m in his bank account. And if we are ready to fight kidnappers, who are already turning into millionaires overnight, the state must rise up and deal with kidnapping the way it is aggressively addressing the issue of restiveness in the Niger-Delta".

Of course, we believe that a bad medical case should be referred to the intensive medical unit of a highly rated hospital.

It will therefore not be out of place if for once the areas identified as hot spots for kidnappers activities are heavily policed as Christmas is fast approaching.

Apart from the regular police, men of the State Security Service (SSS}, who work underground should comb some popular spots in the villages where some of these hoodlums gather to map out their evil activities before turning them into reality.

But even while the government is providing security during this festive period in order to foil attempts by kidnappers to strike, a cleric, Prophet(Dr.) Samson Saka, lamented that though it is difficult to hide wealth when a man has made it, the arrogant display of wealth by some people from the south-east attract the attention of criminals.

As he put it, "Criminals have no interest in areas where they are not likely to get enough loot when they strike. So when some people begin to display wealth to the knowledge of criminals, you make your person and environment attractive's to criminals."

In corroborating with the clerics position, whereas it is difficult for those who are already known to many people as wealthy individuals to hide their wealth, our caution goes to the recent young millionaires who might be tempted to display wealth in their villages during his Christmas to be careful and thought of their safety first before they attract criminals to themselves.

Also during these feastivities, many communities, churches and social clubs usually organise several functions, mainly to raise funds for their organizations. During such fund raising activities, donations by various individuals are announced publicly and the crowd applaud those who made fat donations.

According to the famous writer, Williams Shakespeare, "There is no art to know the construction of the mind on the face."

Therefore, potential kidnappers will also attend such fund raising functions, just to gather information on who donated what, so that they select from the donors those who are likely to produce more money if they are kidnapped.

In this regard, people should device means of making their donation secret like civil servants who are forbidden to announce donations in the public.

If people are to escape wrath of kidnappers as they travel to their villages this Christmas, the government should also encourage heavy security presence in areas prone to activities of kidnappers this festive period. It will also be important if community policing is enforced by the traditional rulers in their domain. The beauty of this community policing is that the vigilante people are likely to know most people from their towns; therefore if they suspect any strange movement, they can alert the nearest security post in their area for possible arrest of the suspects.

Again, the rich, who are destined to attend several social functions, including church services, should think of providing private security around themselves which will not run against the law of the land.

This alternative security is necessary now that the police command at the Federal level has implemented the withdrawal of police orderlies attached to some caliber of government functionaries and other wealthy private individuals.

Moreover, since there are certain acquisitions in life that confer the status of opulence and splendor, like very expensive cars, which get the eyes popping from the socket, such vehicles are better left behind in the big cities instead of driving them to the villages to display wealth just to announce that "I have arrived," only to end up in the hands of kidnappers.

The fact that these wicked souls who call themselves kidnappers had in the past ,killed some of their victims for very flimsy excuses makes it mandatory for those who are likely to fall victims of the act to properly guard themselves.