- Diplomatic Community Concerned
By Ken Afor
For the umpteenth time within a month in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, another kidnapping occurred in the early hours of Thursday as Mr. Aondo Ver, a director of the Federal Housing Authority, Federal Capital Territory (FHA), was abducted from his home near a military base at Pambara in Bwari Area Council.
According to reports, the abduction, which occurred in his home at midnight, was approximately 200 meters from the military base.
Expressing shock, neighbors marveled at the audacity of the kidnappers, considering the close proximity of the houses to the military base, where retired and serving military officers reside, while some are living among civilians outside the base.
“The attack is still shocking to us. Our estate is very close to the military base here known as ‘camp’ at the entrance of Bwari, and there are also serving and retired military personnel living with us here, yet these bandits were bold enough to attack this place and kidnap Mr Ver,” one of the neighbours said.
The New Diplomat gathered that thus worrisome development has also sent shoch and concern across diplomatic circles in Abuja. Sources hinted that many diplomats are very concerned about the turn of events with respect to insecurity in Nigeria.
It would be recalled that Thursday’s incident is the latest in a series, following the abduction of Christiana Igba, a nursing mother with a sick 10-month-old baby, and her mother, Maria Agbo. They were reportedly killed by their abductors after spending two weeks in captivity due to their inability to pay a N90 million ransom.
Following the killings, the kidnappers handed the sick baby to another female victim and released them to seek medical attention for the infant.
Additionally, on December 28, 2023, another abduction occurred in Kuduru, Bwari Area Council, where eight persons, including a pregnant woman and three children, were taken, along with four adults.
Reports indicate that the abductors are demanding a N290 million ransom to secure the release of the hostages.
“They have reached out to us to bring N290 million to secure their release or that they will kill two of them. We have a pregnant woman and three children among them.
“They asked us to bring bags of rice, packs of Indomie, cough syrups, antibiotics, bedsheets and cardigans for the bandits’ use,” a community leader said.
Acknowledging the efforts of the heads of the security agencies, the community leader pleaded for swift action to secure the release of the hostages.
“We know that they are trying their best but we plead with them to rescue our families like they did to the six sisters and the Ariyos.
“We understand that these people are already falling sick in captivity because of the harsh weather and the treatment there,” he said.
The current surge in insecurity in the country has sparked calls for the federal government to reconsider the establishment of state police in Nigeria.
Chief Olabode George, a former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), advocates for the urgent need for state police to address the escalating insecurity.
He describes the security situation in the country as extremely distressing and deeply saddening, emphasizing that no place in the country is safe.
He called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to promptly convene a security meeting with retired generals to find practical solutions to the insecurity challenges.
The former chairman of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), believes that significant improvement in the fight against insecurity can be achieved through the use of modern technology.
He said, “The situation in the country today as per security matters is horrendous and it is heart-wrenching. Everywhere, nobody is safe. There is a lot of modern equipment that the military must buy. Drones should be used. If we are serious, we can procure these equipment and train our military personnel on how to use them.
“Even Yemen uses drones. If they say there are kidnappers, hoodlums or bandits somewhere our people can be trained to combat them because grammatology cannot save us anymore. My suggested solution is simple. Is there a need for state police? Yes. Mr Tinubu must not shy away from it.”
