Kaduna – Abuja Road: Why Kidnapping Is on The Rise Again
Aliyu Nuhu
AREWA AGENDA – Police has been announcing arrests of Kaduna-Abuja kidnappers from 35 men to 40 men etc, yet kidnapping has continued unabated on that road.
It is very obvious the police were either not saying the truth or were arresting the wrong people.
Police also deployed more men and replaced all police along the highway. But that move has not stopped kidnapping from taking place. This also shows the police were not doing the right thing.
From my last observation on the highway, I can say stationing police in the hot spots will not solve the problem.The kidnappers are not fools to carry out their abduction in spots where police are present. No wonder police never caught any kidnapper in the act.
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The police has to do more. They need a mobile squad with speed vehicles to constantly patrol Rijana,Katari to Jere part of the road which is less than 40kms. The police needs to maintain helicopter surveillance and communicate with ground force with information on possible attacks. Above all the police needs to gather intelligence on the hideouts of the kidnappers in the forests and spring attack on them.
On gathering intelligence, the police needs to change its ways. A situation where people volunteered information and got slaughtered the following day says a lot about police complicity in the kidnapping. The solution is for police to provide a hotline where people could pass information without having their identity known. Police should announce cash rewards to people with useful information on the kidnappers. It is known fact that the kidnappers are from Rijana, Katari and Jere towns. People will know them from their lifestyles and movement and inform the police.
But the way police is handling the issue is not yielding results. It is not so much about numbers,camera ops and use of force but intelligence and battle plan.
Arewa Agenda is a Publication of young writers from Northern Nigeria towards Peaceful Coexistence and National Development through positive narratives.
