By Ishola Balogun
The challenge of security of lives and property has become so precarious that everyone walking on the streets suspects the next person. The decoy of the kidnappers is not easily known and they look very unsuspecting until they get hold of their target and bolt away with their victims. To them their victims means money to them.

According to Sanusi Badmus, (not real names) a security expert in Lagos who preferred to be anonymous gave an insight into some of the tricks employed by abductors. “Kidnappers all over most times would have carried out some checks on the victim, they must have been observing your movements for days or even weeks.

File photo: Suspected kidnappers

They are very good at reconnoitering and they understand the geography of most areas they operate. They want to feel very comfortable that they’re not going to get caught or they’re not going to lose or hurt their victim during the abduction.”

“They usually don’t go for a broke person. It would definitely mean a bad market for them.

It is not usually a spontaneous thing, or something like ‘Oh boy! here’s a good one. Let’s kidnap them!’ Although some people might fall victims of circumstance and to them their relatives just have to cough out the money.”

That was the story of 30-year old Kemisola Ogunyemi who was kidnapped just few days after she arrived Nigeria with her husband for her mother’s burial. Kemisola was kidnapped about 8.30pm in Ajah, Lagos on Sunday, February 10, 2013 by a gang of kidnappers who double-crossed her Murano Sport Utility Vehicle, took control of the car and took her away. Kemisola was just a house wife and her husband merely a salary earner, yet the gang went for her. Although, initial sum of N60million was demanded but we gathered she regained her freedom after her family parted with some unspecified amount of money to the kidnappers.

Also, a member of the staff of a first generation bank, Aliyu, was also kidnapped by an armed gang recently. The case was reported at the Ikoyi Police Division by members of his family.

“Aliyu was returning from work when he was abducted at Gbagada. Some phone calls were made to Aliyu’s family demanding a ransom of N5m. After the ransom was paid, Aliyu regained his freedom.

Although kidnapping for ransom occur regularly in the Niger Delta area, the incidents until recently are rare in commercial nerve centre of the country. High profile cases of kidnap were rare. Shortly before the kidnap of Mr Kehinde Bamigbetan, the Ejigbo LCDA chairman, penultimate week, a Briton who works in the oil industry was kidnapped in the high-brow Victoria Island, Lagos, after leaving a night club, but was later released after some money was said to have been paid. But in what looked like an increasing trend of abduction in the city, three Lebanese brothers were also reportedly kidnapped and released three days after a ransom of $60,000 was paid the abductors.

Drawing inference from previous kidnapping in the country, Badmus said much as the abductors  main aim was to force the relatives to pay money for the freedom of their victim, their targets are those who they believe have the means to fairly meet their ransom demand. He advised that showing off wealth is another way of exposing individuals to the abductors who are crazily immersed in the get-rich-quick syndrome. “Those who flaunt their wealth or walk around wearing gaudy jewelry will not be doing themselves any good as they will be tempting the kidnappers.”

With the constitution clearly stating that nobody should be deprived of his liberty, most people are currently advocating for stiffer penalty for kidnappers. Recently Bayelsa state government went a step ahead of other states not only to prohibiting kidnapping but also to enact death penalty for any one found guilty of kidnapping. Chief Francis Egele, the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice of the State maintained that the issue of kidnap is a very serious offence that endangers development in our areas.