IGP, please do something about kidnapping along Abuja-Kaduna road

The spate of kidnapping on the Kaduna-Abuja road in the past few weeks is indeed alarming, with several people abducted and huge sums of money paid as ransom. The attacks are becoming more frequent just as the perpetrators appear more emboldened. It is disheartening that something that started on a small scale has become so […]

The spate of kidnapping on the Kaduna-Abuja road in the past few weeks is indeed alarming, with several people abducted and huge sums of money paid as ransom. The attacks are becoming more frequent just as the perpetrators appear more emboldened. It is disheartening that something that started on a small scale has become so huge, making the road one of the most dreaded in the country at the moment.

Efforts must be made to tackle this issue once and for all. When the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport was shut for six weeks to enable repair work on the runway, all air travelers from the nation’s capital had to go through the Kaduna airport, and during that period, the spate of kidnappings reduced to the barest minimum. This was achieved through the massive deployment of policemen along that route. I believe that if it could be achieved then, it could be done again. 

I call on the Inspector General of Police to prioritize that road. There should be massive deployment of personnel to that route, while efforts are made to arrest the perpetrators and bring them to book.

There is also a need for severe punishment for kidnappers. Anyone found guilty of the act must be made to face the full wrath of the law to serve as deterrent to others.  I commend the police on the arrest of the most wanted kidnapper last weekend at his house in Magodo Estate in Lagos. I urge them to make more of such arrests. Again the government must as a matter of urgency do something about the unemployment situation in the country. A situation where you have many idle youths is not good for any nation, as they could easily turn to crime as being witnessed along the Abuja-Kaduna road. This issue cannot be left to the federal government or one state alone. All state governments must collaborate to tackle this menace. 

Abdullahi Musa wrote from Kubwa, Abuja.