Nigeria has recorded a wave of kidnapping crimes across the country, nearly 19 victims in the last 24 hours, less than a month before the next general elections to be held on February 25 this year and in the midst of a security crisis almost endemic by the action of criminal groups that plague much of the states of the African country.
The Nigerian newspaper ‘The Guardian’ has reported that, in the last 24 hours, about 19 people have been kidnapped in the country, while relatives of the victims and neighbors of the communities are urging the authorities to take part in the latest events.
According to The Guardian, the new kidnapping cases include six schoolchildren in Nasarawa state in the center of the country, a Catholic clergyman in Kaduna town and the traditional ruler of Mutum-Biyu with his family.
«The children were in the assembly yard when the abductors appeared and ordered the pupils to follow them, while the staff running the assembly escaped,» a local witness has narrated.
In the Nigerian state of Taraba, several armed men held the traditional ruler of Mutum-Biyu together with his family — two wives and six children — during the early hours of this morning. According to local media, this incident has caused palpable tension in the community and in the surrounding area.
It should be recalled that Nigerian armed groups specialized in kidnapping and looting, the commonly called «bandits», have caused 564 deaths and 3,420 abductees between July 2021 and June 2022 in at least 500 attacks and abductions across the territory, according to a report published in August last year by the SBM Intelligence group and picked up by the national daily ‘Premium Times’.
The report reflects yet another aspect of the violence that has plagued the country for years. Another estimate published last month by the local government of Kaduna state, one of the most violent in the country, reported at least 645 deaths during the first six months of this year, not only due to the action of «bandits», but also to attacks by jihadist groups or inter-community clashes.
The report also contains approximate figures of the ransoms charged by the «bandits»: during the negotiations they have asked for a cumulative total of about 10 million euros, only to receive a total of approximately 1.2 million for the release of the captives, a «significant» amount, according to SBM, taking into account that the Nigerian population lives on approximately two euros a day.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
