Rare rescue 

It is commendable that security agents rescued six abductees taken from the University of Abuja (UNIABUJA) staff quarters at Giri just three days after their abduction.

Gunmen had invaded the place on November 2, and abducted two professors, three of their family members, and a senior lecturer. The invaders were said to have forced their way into the houses of the victims through the windows in an operation that lasted more than two hours. The kidnappers had demanded N300m for the release of the captives.

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Commissioner of Police, Babaji Sunday, said security agents, on November 5, “successfully identified the hideout of the criminals located at Shenegwu Forest in the Gwagwalada area of the FCT and rescued all abducted victims unhurt.”

The rescue operation was carried out by a joint security team involving the Army, the Department of State Services (DSS) and the police. He added that “the superior firepower of the security operatives led to the arrest of eight members of the notorious gang while some other members of the gang fled into the forest and nearby communities.”

Those who fled should be apprehended. The police said the arrested suspects would be prosecuted. This should be done without delay, and the guilty punished, to send a strong signal that kidnapping is unacceptable.

This successful rescue operation should serve as a model of sorts in the fight against kidnapping.  In the country, kidnapees have rarely been rescued with such swiftness as demonstrated in this case.  Usually, kidnapees are freed by their captors after ransom payment, not rescued by security agents.

The UNIABUJA kidnapping was clearly a dangerous development, considering that it took place in one of the local government areas of the FCT.  It suggests that kidnapping, which has become a major problem across the country and a major cause of insecurity, has spread to the country’s capital and base of the Federal Government.  It is bad enough that kidnappers are troubling several other parts of the country. Their operation in Abuja means they are going for the jugular.

Read Also: ‘Mastermind’ of UniAbuja abduction held in Niger

It is noteworthy that some days before the abductors struck at the university’s staff quarters, the vice principal of the Junior Secondary School, Yebu, in Kwali local government area of Abuja, was abducted by gunmen.

Importantly, the security implication of the UNIABUJA kidnapping was not lost on the Federal Government.  The authorities had reviewed the security arrangement in the city following the kidnap.  It was reported that policemen and soldiers mounted roadblocks at entry and exit points in the FCT as part of the new security measures.

The FCT police spokesperson, DSP Josephine Adeh, said the Inspector General of Police “directed that we beef up security in and around the Federal Capital Territory which we are doing.”

Also, the Assistant Director, Army Public Relations, Guards Brigade Abuja, Captain Godfrey Abakpa, in a statement, said  “men and officers of the brigade are currently in the field across the federal capital to ensure that there is no security breach.”  He added that “more technology is being deployed to aid the security agencies in several ongoing security operations within the environs.”

It is laudable that the security agencies are focused on safeguarding the federal capital. Abuja must not be allowed to become another playground for kidnappers.  But security agents should also pay attention to areas beyond the FCT where escalating kidnap cases have worsened insecurity.

For instance, it is sad that four of the 121 students abducted from Bethel Baptist High School, Kaduna, in Kaduna State, are still in captivity.  They have spent four months in the kidnappers’ den since their kidnap on July 5. Their captors had freed the kidnapped students in batches and collected huge ransoms.  It is disappointing that the authorities failed to rescue the kidnapees as days became weeks, and weeks became months.

It is a cause for concern that kidnapping still thrives in the country. The authorities should deal with those engaged in the crime and address the causes.