Amidst the growing reports of kidnappings and killings in Nigeria, ActionAid Nigeria has urged the government at all levels to fulfil its responsibility of safeguarding lives and properties and combatting the rising insecurity across the country.
According to the group, there has been an escalation of insecurity particularly in the Northern and Middle Belt regions of the country, whereas in the weeks leading up to the elections, a reduction in insecurity was observed. It also lamented the recent killing of four US Consulate workers and their police escorts in Imo State, and the Jos massacre where over 130 women and children were killed, as well as the ongoing killings in Southern Kaduna and the spate of abductions in Zamfara.
In its statement issued on Wednesday and signed by the Executive Director, Ene Obi, ActionAid called on the government to utilise technology for security surveillance and crime-fighting, as well as to rescue victims, citing the potential decline in investor confidence and foreign investments if the insecurity situation persists into the new administration taking over on May 29, 2023.
The group emphasised that the citizens of the country were crucial to driving progress and the economy and that their protection was paramount. It, therefore, urged the government to deploy dire measures to combat the depth of insecurity in the nation.
The NGO further observed that the kidnapping industry in the country was witnessing an ugly boom, revealing that over five billion naira had been paid in ransom over the last five years. It attributed the surge in kidnapping to socio-economic factors such as poverty and hunger and called for a comprehensive kinetic and non-kinetic approach towards solving the problem.
ActionAid implored Nigerians to remain vigilant, report suspicious activities, and collaborate with relevant authorities to identify kidnapping risks and preventive measures within their communities. It also called for increased social interventions and effective law enforcement to mitigate the factors that continue to enable kidnapping in the country.
