The recent spate of kidnappings in Nigeria's capital has residents worried. This week, the government promised a drastic solution but said it wants to see an end to crowdfunding for ransom.
Abuja has been the scene of a fresh wave of kidnappings in Nigeria and residents of the city at heart of central Federal Capital Territory (FCT) are nervous.
On January 5, a man and six of his daughters were kidnapped in a home invasion in the Bwari area of FCT. The kidnappers released the man and ordered him to pay 50 million naira (€50,400) for his children. One of the sisters, a 21-year-old university student, was killed by the kidnappers despite the payment of ransom.
Also this month, 30 people were abducted along the Abuja-Kaduna highway at Dogon-Fili in northwestern Kaduna State. Mass abductions and kidnappings for ransom have been a countrywide problem for several years.
"Every responsible resident of Abuja should be concerned because this [kidnapping] is a very big challenge," Danjuma Abdullahi, a resident of Abuja, told DW. "Security is ultimate because security ensures welfare. If you and your family are not secured, definitely there is a very big cause for concern," Danjuma Abdullahi.
In the FCT, people are limiting their movements out of fear, he said.
Security forces 'working very hard'
President Bola Tinubu has been calling for calm and meeting with his ministers and security chiefs to discuss a strategy to deal with kidnappings.
"Mr. President called us and all the service chiefs to discuss this issue, so concerted effort is being done by security agencies to really look into the situation and stop it immediately," Defence Minister Mohammed Badaru Abubakar told DW.
Hardly any kidnappings had been reported in Abuja in the 10 months before the man and his six daughters were forced from their home. Government statistics for Abuja show 40 kidnapping cases involving 236 victims between January 2021 and June 2023.
"These kidnappings happen around the suburb areas of FCT, majorly around towns or locations that are bordering Kaduna and Niger," Abubakar said. "The bandits are fleeing and are getting shelters around. And the security agencies are working very hard to push them out and block the movement and finish this thing once and for all."
The defence minister told DW that the Nigerian public would see the results of a government intervention soon.
Abuja resident Danjuma Abdullahi is skeptical: "The call for residents not to panic is good. But whether they [the authorities] would get over the challenge and solve the problem, we would live to see that."
Abdullahi believes there should be a concrete plan. "We don't expect them to come out and tell us what strategies they have to combat kidnapping but at least there should more explanation than saying we shouldn't panic," he told DW.
Amnesty flags 'epidemic of kidnapping'
In a statement his week, Amnesty International expressed concern over what it said was "an epidemic of kidnapping" and "the utter failure of the Nigerian authorities to effectively protect lives."
"People in Nigeria are now living on the knife edge," Amnesty said. "Widespread insecurity and the chaos it causes have been exacerbated by routine kidnapping, as armed groups tighten their stranglehold on the country. Nigerian authorities must immediately stem the tide of kidnapping now."
Abdullahi agrees with the Amnesty assessment and believes that authorities would have to be more to win the confidence of residents in Abuja. "Security has to do with intelligence, and I think intelligence has failed in this case. As an ordinary resident, that is what I see. I don't know the strategies that security apparatus has, I don't know what kind of synergy they have."
According Yahya Jarabu, a retired military officer and security expert, the fears of Abuja residents and the concerns being raised by some civil society groups are legitimate.
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"The issue of insecurity is related to widespread corruption which is everywhere. Sadly, people now can do everything because of money. There is the failure of intelligence and people have their own role of providing information about the hideout of these crimals," he told DW.
Crowdfunded ransom payments
The families and friends of people who are kidnapped in Nigeria often take matters into their own hands to ensure the release of their loved. The crowdfunding of ransom has become common practice. But authorities say ransom encourages kidnapping.
"On crowdfunding, we all know that there is existing law that prevents payment of ransom. So it is very sad to go over the internet, radio asking for donations to pay ransom," Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, the Defence Minister, told DW.
"This would only worsen the situation, it would not help the situation as you have seen...If we stop [paying ransom], overtime the kidnapping won't be profitable and they would stop."
Edited by: Benita van Eyssen
