Insecurity: Young professionals are endangered, kidnap victim laments

The rising incidents of kidnapping on Nigerian roads and streets are said to be endangering the lives of young professionals in the country making the prospect of emigrating to other countries more attractive than before.

This is according to a victim who relived his ordeal who said the hoodlums lay siege on the roads to identify young professionals and separate them from other victims.

Speaking with the Nigeran Tribune anonymously on his recent experience in the hands of kidnappers, the young professional who works with a top commercial bank in the country. said that the government’s inability to curb kidnapping and other violent crimes was hampering socio-economic development efforts in the country.

“There is no gainsaying the fact that the menace of kidnapping is threatening development efforts in Nigeria, especially in the rural communities. When it all started, the high and mighty in the society were always the prime target. But in recent time, the tide has changed as all manner of persons are now at risk of being kidnapped. 

“The nation’s highways are no longer safe as professionals are the most hit. The incident of January 2, 2021 along the Enugu–Port Harcourt road when I was kidnapped in a commando-style readily comes to mind,” he said.

He said committed professionals who execute assignments around the rural areas believe that if nothing is done fast, they will no longer be interested in risking their lives and travelling to the hinterland of the country to participate in the development efforts of the government

“When we stepped into the forest, there were another four masked men, all in black. A total of eight kidnappers; five with AK-47, two with short guns and another two with cutlasses pruning trees as we all ran in a single file through farmlands initially and then into a thick forest.

“After 30 minutes of running, they stopped and allowed the three of us abducted to catch our breath for a few minutes. Then we took off now walking briskly on narrow tracks. We were instructed to only step on grass through the tracks to avoid leaving our footprints on the sand.

“At about 7 pm we stopped again to rest for about an hour before setting out for another four hours to the thickest part of the forest where we all slept till the next day. We were all beaten mercilessly. I had injuries. It was a walk through ‘the valley of the shadow of death.” 

Recall that similar experiences abound of kidnapping especially along the major highways in the country. The Kaduna–Abuja road, the Okene–Lokoja–Abuja road among others have become so notorious in recent years.

The victim further noted that travellers on the road also recount tales of woes, especially during the Christmas holiday. 

He said one of such travellers, who had a near encounter with kidnappers on December 26, recalled saying: “While travelling from Abuja to Okene, we came across stranded families. We saw a wife and children along the road whose father had just been kidnapped. We also saw soldiers chasing the kidnappers into the bush. We were lucky to have escaped them.”

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