With the kidnap of 279 Jangebe school girls, Nigeria’s kidnap industry expands. It would appear that Nigeria’s bandits, kidnappers and terrorists are increasingly expanding their criminal business. On Friday, February 28, reports emerged that 317 girls from Government Girls’ Secondary School, Jangebe were kidnapped by bandits operating in Zamfara State, North West Nigeria. This came on the heels of the previous week’s kidnap of 42 persons from Government Science College, Kagara in Niger State. Before that was the kidnap of 21 bus passengers returning from a ceremony in Niger State. These heinous kidnap crimes add up to tens of reported and unreported kidnap incidents across the country. Tons of money set aside for development appear to exchange hands between the kidnappers/bandits and governments across the States of the country. Apparently, the Nigerian government at various levels, even if denied, is busy nourishing an industry of criminal activities that has seen terrorist groups, including cattle herders emerge as the biggest organised criminal ring in the country. The more bizarre the kidnap incident is, the more daring the next incident becomes. In the exchange incident between the Zamfara State government and the kidnap bandits, hijab uniforms were ready and worn on the school girls as soon as they were released, showing a well-rehearsed routine of capture and release of students. It is puzzling how these criminal elements could roam around the country, engage in kidnap bravados and government officials celebrating release after a few days, patting themselves on the back for their “success” in securing the released victims. In all of these crimes, no arrest is made, no one is apprehended and then of course, the bandits go off with more cache of monies in their bags, apparently ready to procure more sophisticated tools for their next operation.
The bulk kidnap of tens of persons send some of the worst impressions to the rest of the world about how degenerate Nigeria’s security has become and how uncertainty has taken over the land with a helpless, weak and ineffective government unready and unwilling to provide reassurance to citizens about their safety.