Abuja Residents Set to Hit the Street Against Surging Kidnappings

The Middle Belt Forum is set to exercise its fundamental human right in an organized protest with a united front of youths enjoined with a common problem demanding government intervention against the surging kidnappings in the Capital, Abuja.

Fueled by the recent kidnappings of Abuja residents, the youth-led protest is set to take the demand to the office of the Attorney General of the Federation.

However, with a demand to end banditry and kidnappings in Nigeria, the group is calling for a decisive crackdown and urging the government to designate the armed group as terrorists while urging security operatives to declare war on terror.

This alarming situation around insecurities in Abuja and Nigeria has left many citizens held captive at the abductor’s den without assurance of release until the ransom is paid. Yet the government intervention to meet up to its primary responsibilities to protect lives and properties remains a challenge.

Citizens are left with the hard reality of rescuing themselves, crowdfunding to fund terrorism for the release of their fellow citizens.

While many have raised ransom out of the inflation crisis going on in the country, Nabeeha Al-Kadriyar, a 400-level biological science student at Ahmadu Bello University, and four others who were abducted alongside six siblings were reportedly murdered for failure to meet the abductor’s demands.

Also, Nabeeha Al-Kadriyar and 13-year-old Folashade Ariyo have already lost their lives. The latter was killed due to ransom delays. Folashade’s mother and three siblings remain captive, adding to the anguish of families caught in the escalating crisis.

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About The Author

Mayowa Durosinmi

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Mayowa Durosinmi is a Nigerian investigative reporter for West Africa Weekly with reports focusing on politics, human rights, security and health in West Africa and the Sahel region.

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