ast week, while briefing the press on the kidnaping of four Journalists on the Aba-Ikot Epene road, the Inspector general of police, Onovo, accused Ngwa people-without any proof- of being responsible for the kidnaping of the four journalists who were kidnaped on Aba-Ikot Ekpene road. During the same press briefing, the Abia State Governor, Theodore Orji, also accused Ngwa people- without any proof- of being responsible for the kidnaping of the four journalists.
Two days ago, after the four kidnaped journalist were voluntarily released by their captors, but before the police arrested any of the kidnappers, the Abia State Government deposed and is prosecuting an Ngwa traditional ruler for his participation in the kidnaping of the four Journalists. The Abia State Government also suspended three Ngwa traditional rulers for participating in kidnaping in their domain.
The actions and utterances of the Abia State Governor and the Nigerian Inspector General of Police regarding kidnaping in Nigeria, seems to be tainted with prejudice, because, they passed judgement on the identity of the kidnappers of the four journalists without any credible facts to support their claim.
What facts did the Inspector General of Police and Abia State Governor have before making the declaration that Ngwa people are primarily responsible for kidnaping in Nigeria ? What evidence "other than the fact that he is an Ngwa-man" does the police have against the Ngwa traditional ruler that was deposed and is being prosecuted on account of the kidnaping of the four Journalists?
Indeed, the spate of kidnaping in Nigeria is alarming, however, the problem Nigeria is having with kidnaping, can be compounded by prejudice, and group defamation, which history has shown, precedes genocide: the Rwandan Genocide of 1994 was preceded by hate speech against the Tutsis in the Rwandan media. Similarly, the Nazi Genocide (1939-1944) was preceded by State sponsored defamation of the Jews in the Nazi media.
In fact, most of the high profile cases of kidnaping in Nigeria, did not occur in Abia State. Nkem Owoh (Osufia); Peter Edochie; Pa Simeon Soludo, father of Chukwuma Soludo (former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria); the wife of Chukwuemeka Ezeife (former Anambara State Governor ); the wife of Festus Odimegwu (former Nigerian Breweries Limited Chairman); Anthony Enukeme (Chairman of Tonimas Oil); the wife of Frank Nneji (Chairman of ABC transport); the mother of Sani Lulu (former Nigerian Football Federation President); the brother of Dora Akunyili (minister of education), Igwe Mbamalu Okeke of Abagana, Glady’s Daukoru th wife of Edmond Daukoru (former minister of petroleum), Elechi Amadi; Pa Odvwrri, the father of Eddy Odvwrri (ThisDay Editorial Page Editor); Udoh, the 23 old daughter of an Akwa Ibom State local government chairman; four (4) medical doctors that where kidnaped in Akwa Ibom this year; the Nigerians Kidnaped in Malaysia, Nigerians Kidnaped in South Africa and several other Nigerians, were not kidnaped in Abia State.
Does the Abia State Governor and Nigerian Inspector General of Police believe that a person, or group, who has the effrontery to commit a daring act of kidnaping in Akwa Ibom State, Enugu State, Imo State, Anambara State or even Edo State, will be dissuaded by distance, to commit the same crime in Abia State, if the price is right ? Is the police not aware that of the 600 persons arrested for kidnaping this year, at least, 400 of them were arrested outside Abia State ?
Further, is it not troubling to the Inspector General of Police and Abia State Governor that two youth community leaders, of the Obingwa area, that were aiding the police to find the kidnapers of the four kidnaped Journalists, were shot dead, within a few hours of them volunteering to help the police? How about the Obingwa traditional ruler and his wife that were murdered in cold blood, several months ago, for volunteering information to the Government of Abia State on the activities of kidnapers in Obingwa ? How did the kidnapers find out the identity of the executed informants ? Are some bad-egg police officers revealing the identities of police informants to their paymasters ? Has the Police or the Abia State Government done anything to show appreciation to the families of the slain informants? (If for no other reason, to encourage other people to blow the whistle against criminals). Does the fact that police informants are dropping dead like flies, not suggest that the kidnappers in Nigeria belong to highly connected organization as opposed to a parochial organization ? Is it possible that the leaders of the kidnaping organized crime syndicate are executing an intensive PR strategy to blame Ngwa people for kidnaping, so that the authorities can be distracted from beaming the searchlight on them?
Kidnaping in Nigeria is a highly organized crime: the kidnappers operate in a large group (about 15 or more), they have accomplices in the police department, they have an intelligence unit whose job duty is to identify prospective kidnap victims, they have access to sophisticated weapons and they have a 99 % success rate.
The Police and other Government officials should resist hanging the crime of kidnaping on the neck of any specific ethnic group, rather, they should form a logical profile of members of Nigeria’s kidnaping syndicate, which may include the following: a young male who is unemployed or underemployed, who lives above his means and does not have a verifiable source of income. Perhaps, an unemployed former 419 kingpin who has an extravagant lifestyle; or maybe, an unemployed former military or police officer that was discharged from his employment for a crime involving moral turpitude and who does not have a verifiable source of income.
"Somehow our devils are never quite what we expect when we meet them face to face" - Nelson DeMille
Kidnaping in Nigeria has become a malaise, especially in the Southeastern parts of Nigeria, however, the defamation or persecution of innocent persons, or a group of people, solely on account of their race, is worse than kidnaping, can lead to genocide and must stop.
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