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Politically Motivated Kidnappings And Hostage-Takings: The New Challenge Before Mike Okiro And His Men By Emeka Oraetoka
Having successfully checked Organized Bank Robberies and achieved appreciable level of success in reduction of criminal activities in Nigeria , Mike Okiro led police, is being confronted by a new wave of politically motivated kidnapping and hostage taking, with serious threat of making nonsense of 2011 general elections? This scenario generally demands that Okiro-led police must go to the drawing board, with their thinking cap on, to fashion out an all embracing intellectual approach to tackling the threatening monster between now and next year, to avoid Hobbnisian state in 2011. Gradually, the political class is waking up to the reality that kidnapping in Nigeria of today has become a political issue. Before now, Police was seen as weeping-child for their failure to tackle the menace of criminal kidnappings, the music has totally changed of police inefficiency at checking kidnappings and hostage-takings; different shades of stakeholders are putting heads together with a view to finding solution to the monster created by Nigeria politicians.
It will be recalled that not too long ago, the House of Representatives, passed a resolution asking the Inspector General of Police, Sir Mike Okiro and the Governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi, to mobilize the Security votes available to them to check the raising cases of insecurity in Anambra State, occasioned by kidnappings and related crimes. Ordinary Nigerians before now believed that insecurity in Anambra State was a function of the activities of robbers in the state. The House of Representatives on the other hand, naively thought that the incessant kidnappings in the State were going on because the Police have failed in its responsibility to check the menace. With the spreed of kidnappings and related crimes from the South-south to South-west and other parts of Nigeria , the House of Representatives may have realized that their resolution on Anambra State amounted to sheer waste of time as reports on activities of kidnappers are becoming coordinated and sophisticated. For instance, Sunday Independent of June 7, 2009, had this caption titled: South East Leaders Plan Summit On Kidnapping, lend credence to the politically motivated theory of kidnapping in the East. The main report reads in part: “Worried by the manner kidnapping and hostage-taking are rearing their ugly heads in the South Eastern states of Nigeria, leaders of various political, socio- cultural and economic groups in that area are set to hold a summit to proffer solutions to the menace”.-----. Further, the report quoted a promoter of the summit thus: “No zone can develop without investment by the indigenes and non-indigenes. But nobody wants to invest in an area where there is a high level of insecurity. The case of Niger-Delta is an eye-opener that nobody takes his money to an area his life and investments cannot be guaranteed. We don’t want that to happen in the South-East” The report in Daily Trust of Monday, June 15, 2009, page 7, also supported this theory. The caption of the report reads: Politics behind Anambra Crime wave -Don. This is extract of the report: Dr. Okose Gabriel of the Anambra State university has described the crime wave in Anambra state as politically motivated…He said futher; ----these things were not coincidence, but a ploy by the opposition to destabilize the state and make the President declare a state of emergency in the State because of the general believe that nobody can win the incumbent governor, Peter Obi, on account of his achievements… A Juxtaposition of the base attack on the person of President Umar Musa Yar-Adua’s and his government, with the picture painted by Dr.Okose in Anambra state, it points to be fact that sponsors of the attackers of President Yar-Adua’s government may get desperate and perfect this sprouting politically motivated kidnappings and hostage-taking, since, subversion appears to be their ultimate intention.
In analyzing the concern of southeast stakeholders about kidnappings and hostage taking, it will be clearly seen that the elites have come to realize that kidnappings and associated crimes in the region were politically motivated, not criminal as erroneously thought before now. Again, to stress the political motivation theory; why are the stake holders in the Southeast talking of summit, when they know that they can easily tell the Inspector General of Police to deploy more men to the region to provide the needed security? It is pertinent to note that recently, in Akwa-Ibom State , kidnapping took place and the suggestion was that politics was responsible for the act. In-fact, an interesting dimension was added to the kidnap saga. According to an article in pointblanknews.com, an internet information dissemination outlet, by one Engineer Etim George of plot 239 Ozumba Mbadiwe Road, Victoria Island, Lagos, who said that the state government masterminded the whole kidnapping episode. This appeared to have further suggested that anarchy could be around the corner come 2011, unless Okiro and Co move fast to provide special policing for politicians in Nigeria . In Ondo State , the story of political motivated kidnapping remains the same, on the 18th of June, 2009, many National Newspapers reported the crises between Labour party (LP) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), where a commissioner wife was reportedly abducted for ransom. Later, report had it that the kidnappers demanded for ten [N10] million naira as ransom. The point being made here is that the kidnap in Ondo State was equally politically motivated, in a simple language.
Sir Mike Okiro appears to have started what could be termed, practical offensive against kidnapping and hostage taking in Nigeria , through the sponsoring of a bill for the registration of SIM Cards for the purpose of tracking kidnappers and hostage takers. The bill which is said to have been sent to National Assembly for passage into law is expected to compel all the network service providers to recall existing GSM lines for proper documentation and registration. The overall purpose of the bill is to make it impossible for kidnappers and hostage takers to make calls without been traced and tracked. A situation where they could just stroll to any network vendor to buy SIMs Card for the purpose of their wicked act, only, to throw it to the thrash can once their agenda has been achieved, will be a thing of the past.
The step being taken by Southeast stakeholders towards checking the menace of kidnappings and hostage-takings is commendable and emulate-able. What the stakeholders must also do as a follow-up is to ask their representatives at the National Assembly to ensure speedy passage of the bill to check kidnapping and hostage taking to be presented by the Inspector General of Police. Leaders in the remaining geo-political zones should as a matter of National emergency initiate zonal summit on the same kidnapping and hostage taking in their zones. As a matter of urgency too, they, the remaining zones in Nigeria should also tell their various representatives at the National Assembly, not only to ensure passage of the bill into law on time, but also that there is the need for a comprehensive public hearing on the bill so that Nigerians from all walks of life can contribute their opinion on how best to package the law for effective result.
As 2011 general elections approaches, political kidnapping and hostage taking are on the verge of replacing age long election rigging accusation and counter accusations, and here comes the real threat to 2011 elections. The base politically motivated opposition, not from opposition political parties, but fro self styled civil society organizations, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and foreign internet information dissemination outlets, has surely raised the bar for the Inspector General of Police in ensuring total security before 2011 elections. The task before Mike Okiro led police is to fashion out an intellectual method of checking this potentially dangerous politically motivated crime called kidnapping and hostage-taking. Much as peace loving Nigerians know that Okiro-led Police has made encouraging effort towards stopping the menace of kidnapping in the country, more concerted effort is needed from all concerned.
Sir Mike Okiro-led police must fight this politically motivated kidnapping and hostage taking the way and manner they successfully fought Organized Bank Robberies in Nigeria . Okiro may need to introduce a new brand of policing for politicians, to be called; “Policing the Politicians”. The Police could invite political leaders of the current fifty [50] registered political parties in Nigeria for discussion on the issue of politically motivated kidnapping and associated crimes and the way out. At the same time, strategies on the best way to check the menace would be discussed also. The information obtained from this Police/Politicians interaction will enable the police to see the extent of information flow between various political parties and criminal elements in the country, for the purpose of knowing the strategy to adopt in policing each and every political party.
Pronouncement: President Umar Musa Yar-adua’s government must as a matter of National urgency summon a special executive council, as well as Security meeting to fine-tune the best strategy to be adopted on this dangerous issue of politically motivated kidnappings and hostage takings in Nigeria. Okiro led Nigeria Police must be told to produce results, at best, in the next six [6] months, otherwise, we may live to regret our collective inaction, in this particular instance.
Emeka Oraetoka Information management Consultant & Political Researcher Wrote in from Garki-Abuja P O Box 18928 e-mail:oramekllis@lycos.com |