Editor: Kidnapping for ransom has become an institutionalized and flourishing crime in Nigeria with police and other security agencies struggling to curb this menace. Perhaps we need to take the war beyond this current tempo of being reactive and declare a state of emergency on this since it is only emergency rule that brings out seriousness in us. We cannot win war on kidnapping without proactivity and usage of intelligence gathering and collaboration with traditional institutions.
The only time we see much activity around this menace is when a high profile person is affected. The recent kidnapping of family members of a serving Supreme Court justice has increased security activities around Edo State. Prior to this, scores of people are being abducted daily on the Benin-Ore end of the expressway.
We all witnessed how America speedily dealt with the Boston bombing within few days. This shows the seriousness of the Americans to handle their affairs. Ours is lack of will to deal with daily challenges that gradually turn to anarchy and state of hopelessness. We don’t handle issues until they snowball into a catastrophe. Our nation has gradually crawled into a failed state simply because people in authority have failed to deliver on their constitutional responsibilities. The Nigerian people have themselves to blame as leaders should be held accountable for their actions and inactions. It should no longer be business as usual with leaders only interested in enriching themselves.
We need to up our game in this country and get people saddled with the responsibility of protecting lives and properties to change their leadership approach and deliver on those things that will make life meaningful to the masses. We cannot read out sound economic metrics achieved when an ordinary man in the street cannot relate the metrics to the difficulties he faces daily to make ends meet. How many jobs have we added to the economy with those metrics? Have we been able to stabilise power and get people engaged in their various trades? On the part of security agencies, we need commitment, skill and resources to end this kidnapping scourge and it is high time the president declared emergency in this sector to deal with the root causes which are largely poverty, unequal distribution of income or resources of the nation, injustice and un-employment. We are walking a mine field. There was a country called Nigeria.
Azubike Okonkwo
barthlini@yahoo.com
