The United Kingdom government, on Tuesday, bemoaned the killing of 38 hostages by terrorists in Zamfara State despite payment of N50 million as ransom.
Specifically, the UK government said such senseless killing by the terrorists retards economic progress of the country because it damages people's mental and physical well-being.
Daily Trust reports that the 38 victims were murdered in cold blood on Sunday by bandits in Banga Town, Kaura Namoda Local Government Area of Zamfara State, after collecting ransom from their families.
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The kidnappers, led by a notorious bandit kingpin, Dan Sadiya, had abducted over 50 residents from the community, mostly women, after collecting a ransom of N50m.
At a press briefing on the State Expansion Programme for the Anti-Kidnap Fusion Cell, the Acting British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Gill Levers, described kidnapping as an "unspeakable crime" that has impacts on society, communities and families.
She said, "It damages people's mental and physical well-being, retards economic progress and all the other things that we know well. And we must bring an end to this."
Levers extended the UK Government's condolences to the people of Zamfara State and to the affected people, their families and friends.
The programme was organised by the National Counter-Terrorism Centre (NCTC) in collaboration with the UK Government.
The UK government official explained that the multi-agency Kidnap Fusion Cell is a three-year initiative to create a collaborative response from Nigeria's security forces to tackle the threat of kidnap across the country.
According to her, the Cell's role was to support the Nigerian Police and Department of State Service's Kidnap Response Units nationwide by collecting, analyzing and disseminating data to the Office of the National Security Adviser, as well as providing trend-based information on kidnapping incidents by state.
She said the Cell and ongoing training were borne out of deep partnership between the United Kingdom and Nigeria in security and defence.
Earlier, the National Coordinator, National Counter-Terrorism Centre, Adamu Laka, said since its establishment, the fusion cell has worked closely with the military and law enforcement agencies across the country to support kidnap response operations.
Laka, a Major-General, said the centre serves as a central hub for coordinating efforts, sharing intelligence, and enhancing Nigeria's overall capacity to respond swiftly and effectively to kidnapping incidents with the ultimate aim of saving lives.
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"We remain mindful of the ongoing threats, particularly in states such as Katsina, Zamfara and Kaduna, which recorded the highest number of incidents during the period under review," he said.
General Laka further stated that the National Counterterrorism Centre, under the direction of the National Security Adviser, has launched a state expansion initiative which involves the engagement of anti-kidnapping liaison officers from the Nigerian police and the DSS from all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
