In order to combat the growing menace of community-based kidnapping, the community security network groups will have to increase their presence along most traveled routes across their community
Kidnapping for ransom along many Nigeria highways is no longer news although the practice continues to pose a daunting challenge to road users and transporters every day.
The growing spates of kidnapping cases along the Southwest roads connecting to either South East or Abuja calls for urgent action before the entire region is engulfed by lawless bands of gangsters and bandits squaring up for supremacy or loyalty to underground lords and influences who has remained anonymous in all allegations, making the thought or attempt of investigation and arrests a very complicated job.
In most cases the vigilantes comprise of local hunters and youth group working as volunteers. These local hunters understands the footpaths and terrains in their forest regions more than any stranger
Most worrisome is the repetition and similarities of the attack approach on unsuspecting road users and selection of spots of attack across these busy highways.
This should have served enough guide post to unmasking the marauders, their sponsors and tactics leading to a complete barricade of the entire loopholes and subsequent arrests, nevertheless the marauders and bandits continue to be emboldened everyday by the silence of those in authority to check on the growing security lapses both at the community level and along state borders.
Based on various reports from victims who have survived the harrowing torture of these criminal elements who do not hide the stock of their trade, best form of combat, arrest and total elimination will remain the option for community security network in collaboration with the Nigerian security authorities.
The Nigeria security authorities comprising of the Police, Army, DSS, even operatives of the National Road Safety Network controls all the acclaimed federal highways that runs across every state in Nigeria. Virtually all federal highways are linked to a road network from bothering states and communities as you travel along by car. Many of these communities have in one way or the other set up vigilante groups that patrols the community at intervals.
In most cases the vigilantes comprise of local hunters and youth group working as volunteers. These local hunters understands the footpaths and terrains in their forest regions more than any stranger, the youth groups understands the routes and cracks of their community more than any stranger.
In order to combat the growing menace of community-based kidnapping, the community security network groups will have to increase their presence along most travelled routes across their community. While the vigilantes whom comprises of the hunters and youth group will have to increase their presence across every forest region within their state or community borders especially those leading to the highways.
Virtually all the reports from rescued victims continue to bear the same narratives of being led from the highway to the nearby bush then walking across farmlands to remote forest regions where they are placed under a tree inside the forest and watched over by heavily armed bandits of foreign origin.
In most cases these bandits are youngsters between the ages of 14 to 17 years but heavily armed with assault rifles, badly clad with charms and bloodshot eyes.
When and how they arrived into the state, traveled across the city, settled in the forests and farmlands remains a challenging curiosity. Who they are working for, where they take the ransom money that often runs into tens and hundreds of millions of naira notes to, which banks are the money deposited; these flashpoints shall all serve the purpose of barricading all loopholes and subsequent arrests or total elimination of these highway kidnapping menace.
Secondly let the federal highway security patrol team increase their presence at every 100 – 200 meters within the areas declared as volatile regions. Especially along the Lokoja-Okene road going to Abuja, Akure-Owo road through Edo State also connecting route to Abuja and the South East.
There is a common tactics along major stops for highway road users and transporters. A bike appears from nowhere and run into your car either stationed or about to park, Once the driver of the car dares to come out to ask what the problem was, the bandits will pounce on him from all corners and in less 3 minutes the occupants of the car are whisked into the nearby forest to the den of the kidnappers, in the thick of the forest of the nearby community.
Most interesting thing is; these practice continues to repeat as same spots and victims who have been released after severe torture and payment of ransoms continue to share similar harrowing experience of walking along bush paths immediately they were picked from their cars, thick forests within their own community, and worse off, a likelihood of complicity between the kidnappers and some unknown individuals in authority and national security outfit like the police and local chiefs.
As much as no one has come out with specific information on these allegations, they will remain speculative, however if the Local State Security Networks in whatsoever appellation they may chose to address themselves work in hand with their state government authorities and find subtle means to engage the federal government to release selected security operatives to the highways across danger zones in affected states to support the works of community security watch, both Amotekun, the Eastern Security Network and other community security outfits in like manner will achieve maximum result in combating the growing menace of kidnapping in the affected regions.
