'Lucrative' Kidnapping - A National Concern

Dating back to the years of slave trade,human beings were profitable commodities in the hands of their dealers,who exchange them for money.Some human beings were captured to be sold while parents were willing to sell their seemingly stubborn children.Some of the slaves that were ferried out of the country were subjected to untold hardships in the hands of their buyers.Recently,human trafficking has been a serious challenge in our country,as people still lure their unsuspecting victims for the money-making venture.

Like slave trade,kidnapping has become a matter to contend with in our country.It is about the most popular information seen in the news nationwide.Even the deaf people have heard it.Hardened individuals,that decided to take their destinies in their own hands,have taken kidnapping,as a means of getting their share of the unevenly distributed national cake.The big,the small,the young and the aged are being held on ransom day after day.Presently,it has become a thorn in the flesh of Nigerians and has culminated into an unwarranted emergency.

It began in the Niger-Delta,the oil rich zone in the country,where angry youths sought for attention to the bad state of their environment,caused by the age-long mining activities that go on in the area.Evidently,Nigeria's economy has so much leaned on the petroleum resources siphoned from the south-south zone of the nation,but there has not been a commensurate development to compensate the people living in the area.

The youths picked up arms and moved into the creeks,destroying oil pipelines and abducting expatriates for ransom.It grew insidiously and like cancer cells,spread to every corner of the nation.It's spread drew the attention of the world.Countries gave out warning signals to their citizens that may want to travel into Nigeria,crippling the investment opportunies coming from those nations.

The spate of insecurity in the nation has become enormous due to the same kidnapping.Everyone is a potential victim(even you).The South-East zone has gained a certain level of notoriety for kidnapping recently.The Army,Police and all security agencies have battled with little or no result.Most of them are even victims and are tired of combating the ugly trend.There is much pressure on the presidency as the masses are constantly crying for help.It has become an active impedimenta to the growth of the nation.

Nigerians in diaspora are even afraid of returning to their fatherland,not even for a visit,because of the same problem.Those that eventually take the risk,quickly run for their lives as soon as they are done with what they came for.The condition has so deteriorated to the extent that everybody,including Mr President,is at risk.It used to be against those that can afford to pay large sums of money as ransom,but is now meted against even common men.Nobody is safe again.There is a gripping fear of the unknown in our society.People now sleep with one eye open.What a misdemeanour!

The recent kidnap of four journalists returning from a meeting,gave a better vista of the nation's pitiable state.It threw the nation into chaos and clearly exposed the level of insecurity in our nation.It taught everyone of us that nobody's safety is guaranteed in a nation like ours.People suddenly became prayer warriors,earnestly seeking God's help in the deliverance of the victims.Legislators woke up to the law against kidnapping.The police began to run helter-skelter in a bid to finding the abducted journalists.

Ransom is often requested from the relatives of the kidnapped persons.The abductors tend to fix a price commensurate with the status of their victims.Sometimes,haggling is done to reduce the price but the victims usually loose money to the incidence.Often times,when the rapacious abductors are settled,we are told that no ransom was paid.Unfortunately,the lucrative business has continued without any serious attempt to stop it.

Some States' Houses of Representatives have approved a law that will allow them to sentence to death,nabbed kidnappers.

That may be far from a solution that will not be short-lived.Our government should rise and put things in place.Amnesty only gave us a good opportunity to spend our money without achieving much.Employment opportunities should be created for the youths so as to discourage them from the act.Our comatose industries should be resuscitated and expanded to give room for employment.Security personnels should be better trained and equipped for the great task ahead of them.Actually,from all indications,kidnapping in this nation may not be eradicated by the laws passed in our states,amnesty programmes and empty police threats.We can only win the battle against kidnapping through manpower development and that requires everyone's concerted effort.When we are done,we will have a better and safer society we can call our own.