Festive season: Mixed feelings over kidnap, robbery fears

Andrew Agbese (Kaduna), Ahmed Tahir Ajobe (Minna), Yusha’u Ibrahim (Kano), Lami Sadiq (Jos), Balarabe Alkassim (Bauchi), Emma Elekwa (Awka) & Umar Faruk (Kaduna) Nigerians travel a lot during the Christmas season, spending the holidays with family. That makes a mad rush for travel inevitable at the tail-end of every year. But recently, with a spike […]

Andrew Agbese (Kaduna), Ahmed Tahir Ajobe (Minna), Yusha’u Ibrahim (Kano), Lami Sadiq (Jos), Balarabe Alkassim (Bauchi), Emma Elekwa (Awka) & Umar Faruk (Kaduna)

Nigerians travel a lot during the Christmas season, spending the holidays with family. That makes a mad rush for travel inevitable at the tail-end of every year. But recently, with a spike in kidnappings around the nation, many of the yuletide travelers are of divided minds. The police, and other security agencies, have stepped up work in the worst-hit areas, but frequent travelers say more needs to be done, even as kidnappings – and armed robberies – are regularly reported on some routes. 

Before Helen Paul travelled to Makurdi in Benue State for the Christmas break, she had been agitating whether or not to make the journey. The young lady who was posted to Jos in September for her National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), had feared the risk of armed robbery and kidnapping along major highways and had contemplated staying back. “And you know these kidnappers are not only after big men now, anybody can be a victim,” she said. 

Ephraim Aruba, seen boarding a car to Kaduna for Christmas, said despite the fears of armed robbery and kidnapping, he has frequented the Kaduna-Jos route. He explained that though it is God that protects, the trick is to travel during the day and follow a route with more security checkpoints.

This year’s Christmas celebration in Jos has witnessed poor exodus of travelers from Jos to other parts of the country. At the luxurious bus park around Tafawa Balewa and Gada Biyu, Daily Trust observed few passengers while most of the labourers who offload haulages were idle. Officials at the park blamed the Boko Haram insurgency in some parts of the North-East, kidnappings, and armed robbery on the highway. 

Joseph Oyotunde, manager of Young Riders Motors, whose buses cover Jos-Lagos and other south-western states, said usually before Christmas period, people from Maiduguri, Gombe, Bauchi and Yobe among other states most especially NYSC members posted to the North-East, book their bus tickets in Jos to travel home, for the Christmas and New Year celebrations. But some of them left weeks before now, and this has affected our business.” 

A driver of Young Shall Grow Motors, Chinedu Ike, says apart from the business aspect which is nosediving at this period, drivers were not necessarily worried about kidnapping on the highway. “The kidnappers don’t normally attack commercial buses, they are after rich men, but our greatest challenge on the road is armed robbers.”

But the Plateau State Police command yesterday warned residents against the use of public transportation from uncertified motor parks. Police spokesman, ASP Tyopev Terna said: “Persons boarding vehicles at makeshift loading joints on the highways are at risk of falling prey to criminals.”

The Public Education Officer of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), in Plateau State, Bala Andrew ‎said at the corps has commenced the special patrol programmes from 19 December which is expected to last till 15th January.

In Kaduna, motorists and passengers plying the Abuja expressway are anxious. One of the drivers at the Command Junction Park, Ikechukwu, who confirmed rising apprehension on the route, said things are “terrible” there. He said though the security atmosphere has improved compared to few months back while the security personnel along the road have increased, the kidnappers now take advantage of bad spots on the road. “The security agencies are trying, but kidnappings persist,” he said.

Another driver, Chinedu, said it is only God that has been saving them. “Not long ago [the kidnappers] blocked the road to carry out operations. At times the kidnappers even wear camouflage uniforms, but it is obvious that they aren’t soldiers,” he said. 

While Yusuf  Musa, another driver who plies that route constantly, said the level of security on the road has improved, “It is not enough.” He added: “The policemen at checkpoints manned at night extort money from transporters, and that is bad. For me, the government should deploy more army personnel, to cull the kidnappings and robberies.” 

Anita Johnson, a traveler, who spoke with our correspondents, said she travels on the road with her faith in God. 

In Kano, Daily Trust spoke to Madam Magret John, who said the kidnappings along highways across the nation will not stop her from travelling to Imo State for this year’s Christmas celebration. 

But contrary to Madam John’s views, one Mr Desmond Emmanuel, also of Sabon-Gari area, said he had resolved to celebrate this year’s Christmas in Kano: “I’ll  not travel anywhere this year. The incessant cases of kidnapping, precisely along Kaduna-Abuja highway are scary.” 

Emmanuel added that his family all welcomed the idea. “It is unfortunate that kidnapping on our highways is defying all efforts by our security agencies,” he said. A number of people spoken to, also echoed these sentiments, preferring to stay back in Kano for Christmas.

Mr. Emeka Nwobodo, an official at New Road Luxurious Motor Park, said some measures they adopted to defy kidnappers, armed robbers, and others, include traveling in convoys. “We also ensure thorough search of passengers luggage to ensure that no passenger is carrying dangerous weapons,” he said.

But in Niger State, that’s not the story. As cattle rustling become less lucrative, returning villagers now find new threats from kidnappers, who are retreating from the onslaught from security operatives on Abuja-Kaduna road. 

Across the communities that share a border with Kaduna State in Shiroro, Munya and Sarkin Pawa local government areas of Niger State, retreating kidnappers launch night and early hour attacks, with devastating consequences. Unofficial figures puts the number of those kidnapped in communities within the affected local government areas in the last three weeks at 15, with killed. Among the affected communities, Zazzaga, the headquarters of Zazzaga district has the largest numbers of 11 kidnapped persons. At the community last Tuesday, the district head Alhaji Garba Musa, told the story of the many ordeals the villagers across the district have had to endure.  

According to Alhaji Musa, six kidnapped natives of the community made up of four men and two women are still in captivity after securing the release of five. Their abductors are asking for N1 million on each victim. The kidnappers mostly target relatively wealthy villagers, who they identify through informants. They also choose harvest time when villagers, who are mostly farmers, sell their produce. Their modus operandi is to target two persons or more during an operation. Midway to their destination, one of the abductors would be dropped off with a telephone number with which negotiations and agreement on ransom could be reached. 

Amina Mohammed, 60, and Garba Danjuma, 65, were at different operations released midway into the journey with telephones with which the community leaders would reach out to the kidnappers. 

Daily Trust learnt that female captives experience some measure of freedom while with the kidnappers. “They are mostly use as cooks, until the ransom is paid,” the district head explained. After that, the kidnappers target other prospective cooks. 

Khadiza Saleh, a sixteen-year-old student of Junior Secondary School, Zazzaga, served as one of such cooks. She was abducted alongside three other sisters by the armed men who attacked their community at about 2:00am that day, killing her father for daring to resist. As usual, the kidnappers dropped off one of them later, with a telephone number, and a warning to the community that if there they dare alert security operatives, the other girls would be shot dead.  

Khadiza’s  job for the 10 days she spent in captivity was to cook for other victims and their abductors. Foodstuffs, including meat, was made available. 

Khadiza told Daily Trust that she trekkedn alongside the kidnappers and other victims for hours before arriving at their destination. She said they were kept under a tree in the bush not too far from the Kaduna-Abuja rail line, as they regularly heard trains passing.” She was also sent to go and search for firewood, but with a warning that if she ran, she would be caught, raped and killed. “At night, they give me a blanket to cover myself, but the men are left to sleep in the open, with their hands tied behind their backs.”

Danjuma Garba, 65, who was released after family members paid the N1.5million ransom, confirmed that male victims are tied up at night. “In the morning, they’d blindfold us with black cloth, and free our hands, but when it’s night, the remove the cover from our eyes and tie up our hands,” he recounted. 

The district head said the armed men attack any community of their choice anytime they please, adding that their situation was made more complicated with just one police outpost in the entire district. Our correspondent observed the unmarked outpost under lock and key last Tuesday, itself in a state of dilapidation. Manned by a scant two policemen without guns, they too had to run for safety when the kidnappers attacked. 

Policemen themselves have been victims in the hands of the rampaging armed bandits. Within the last three months, about six officers and men of the command were seized at different locations and ransoms were paid before their release. The last episode involved a divisional police officer and five of his men. In between the period, two commissioners of police have taken charge of the command, even as it has redeployed four PROs.  

The Senator representing Niger East, David Umaru, had raised alarm and decried what he referred to as the ‘apparent insensitivity’ on the part of the state government to protect lives and property of the citizens. He confirmed that more than 15 people were kidnapped within the period in the three affected local government areas of Shiroro, Munya and Sarkin Pawa. 

But the police insisted last week that only one person was killed by the kidnappers within the period. In a statement signed by the acting PRO, ASP Peter Sunday, the command acknowledged that Sale Danjuma was killed while trying to resist the abduction of his daughters in Zazzaga, but was silent on the whereabouts of the girls themselves. 

Daily Trust learnt that a team of security operatives made up of the police and military have been deployed to the affected communities, with many residents hoping for an end to the trauma. 

Then in Bauchi, forests like Lame-Burra, Ganjuwa and Toro have became notorious for criminal activities in recent times. Records have shown that hundreds of criminals ranging from armed robbers, kidnappers, cattle rustlers and other criminals have been arrested by various security agencies in the state. The state police command have also been parading the various criminals arrested through its operations in various parts of the state. The military has also been engaged in a sustained operation against criminals at various locations across the state. 

Significant arrests of various have been made by the police and other security agencies across in 2017. Between the months July and December 2017, the state witnessed a significant increase in the spate of criminal activities, especially kidnappings and armed robbery. Several captives have also been rescued, while caches of weapons have also been recovered.

In November and December, Bauchi recorded a high number of kidnappings, armed robbery and others.

Kidnappers’ hideouts have also been dislodged by the Bauchi Police Command’s Anti-Kidnapping Unit at Lame-Burra forest in Ningi LGA. The police said the operation led to the arrest of the notorious gang leader, Buba Manu, who was allegedly involved in the kidnap and killing of three female hostages in Ganjuwa early September. 

In Awka, Anambra State, a passenger called Mrs. Blessing Ibekwe, traveling with her family to her village in Abia State, said she was not nursing any fear of kidnappers, in view of the relative peace and security in the Southeast, particularly in Anambra. “I can’t remember when last I heard of kidnapping in this area, especially in recent times. Though in the past, I couldn’t have summoned up the courage to embark on this journey.”

The state’s PPRO, Princess Nkeiru Nwode, said there was no need to panic as the police had put every necessary measure in place to guarantee a hitch-free yuletide.

But as it stands, a majority of travelers and potential travelers, remain apprehensive. Florence Madaki, a Kaduna housewife whose husband works in Abuja, said she would not be able to spend Christmas with him as he is too busy to travel down home. “I’ll stay with the kids here, and we’ll wish each other merry Christmas via telephone,” she said, adding: “If I get kidnapped, who will give us ransom to pay?”