It started like a joke in Calabar, the Cross River State capital. A random kidnapping here and there – a phenomenon, which reared its head about five years ago in the state, said to be the most peaceful in the country.
It was hoped the issue would be nipped in the bud, if just to ensure that the state still retains its enviable status. This has not turned out to be so. It would be recalled that father of former deputy governor of the state was kidnapped while he was still in power. News of children being kidnapped once in a while always made the headlines. Also just recently, the kidnap of three people on campus of the University of Calabar, was the talk of the town.
The situation has over the years, gathered momentum and snowballed into a monstrous situation, as many believe security has grown lax in the state. However, it has been learnt that a good number of such kidnapping have never gotten to the news. Most worried by this dimension, which has gotten to a head in the past one year, are Igbo businessmen, who strongly believe they are targets as many of them have been kidnapped and released quietly, because they fear for their safety or that of their loved ones abducted.
Cross River State is generally believed to be a civil service state and majority of the businesses in the state belong to Igbo who have injected a lot of spirit into the economy. To a great extent, the economy of the state depends on their endeavours. From spare parts, electronics, building materials, clothing, to transport companies among a host of other businesses, their presence is well established.
In the past month only, it is on good authority that at least three of such Igbo businessmen or their relatives have been abducted by unknown gunmen and heavy ransom paid for their release.
An Igbo trader, who begged not to be named, said to Niger Delta Report: “Things are not well. The government is just pretending they are. They don’t want to hear these things but they are true. They don’t want people to know these things because of the tourism status of the state, but people have to know, so that something can be done urgently about it.
“In the past few weeks, they have kidnapped the wife of a popular electronics dealer in this Calabar and millions of naira was used to secure her release. Who knows if the husband even had to borrow money to pay in these hard times?
“Not long after that, they kidnapped the owner of a bakery and demanded several millions also. A businessman along Hewett Road was also kidnapped and I think about N20 million demanded for his release. These kidnappings have been for a long time, but have just been quiet. They have kidnapped a lot of people in Calabar collecting up to N10 million or N20 million. It is now the order of the day here.
“They feel we have too much money to throw about. What many people don’t understand is that sometimes, we borrow money to do our businesses. That we are enterprising and carry on come rain or shine does not mean, we have money to throw about. A lot of people do not understand what we pass through doing our business. I only wish they knew.”
Worried by the developed, Igbo traders and businessmen have planned to close their businesses for two days in protest, a move which to an extent would cripple the state’s economy.
Briefing newsmen on the development, the coordinator of Igbo Unity Forum, Mazi Okechukwu Ebubedike, said the decision for Igbo to shut down business for at least two days in Calabar metropolis was reached at after an extensive emergency meeting with all major stakeholders and town unions of Igbo extraction to protest this ugly trend.
Ebubedike, who is also the chairman of Igbo professionals in the state, disclosed that over 35 prominent sons and their wives have been abducted so far in the state in the last one year with hundreds of millions paid out as ransom.
According to him, most of the victims pay between N5m and N30m as ransom to secure their release from the kidnappers even when injuries are inflicted on them.
Ebubedike said: “We have been made victims of kidnap in the state in the last one year and made to pay dearly as ransom to these hoodlums in the last couple of months. Unfortunately, nobody cares about our plight at this excruciating circumstance.
“I can tell you that the Igbo traders and businessmen who are victims of these hoodlums have been paying through the nose to secure their release. And to protest against this ugly trend we are embarking protest by closing our shops and other business outlets for two days.
“We have, therefore, directed that all shops owned by Igbo should be closed on a day to be announced so as to attract attention and to see how this security lapse can be tackled. We will enforce the closure to press home our demand to stop the kidnapping.
“We have been made targets of kidnappers. We are now preys in the hands of criminals and everybody seem not to bother because it is Igbo. But we will resist it because we are here to do business and assist in developing the state sincerely. So, we can no longer fold our hands and watch our people being used as money-minting machine by kidnappers,” he stated.
The coordinator, who claimed that government has paid deaf ear to the plight of the Igbo in Calabar in respect to kidnapping, said most Igbo have been subjected to undue treatment and harassment by these criminals even when they pay their taxes and other levies to the state.
He said Igbo contribute positively to the development of the state and therefore deserve protection to enable them carry out their businesses in a more conducive atmosphere.
The coordinator, who enjoined the government to step up security surveillance within the metropolis, said the state is noted for hospitality and therefore should do everything possible to protect investors as well as lives and property.
The President Igbo Community, Calabar, Cross River State, Chief Albert Enya, said they have been talking to the government over the matter. He however, did not support the plan of the traders to close shop.
He said: “We have been talking with government. We are not fighting the government. What we are saying is that this kidnapping should stop. And also the issue of closing of market, was not discussed in our last meeting and today we had an executive meeting too over the issue and we have resolved that there should be no strike, but rather we should dialogue with government and security people to see what we can do about the kidnapping because it is getting out of hand. This kidnapping does not only affect the Igbo but the whole Cross River State, but 80 per cent of those kidnapped are Igbo. We are here to business and if every time they kidnap one of us it is not good for us and we don’t like it. That is why we are saying that government should do something. They have been trying because we are meeting with them, but they should put more efforts. We are not part of the strike arrangement but rather we dialogue with government to see how we can stop the problem.”
Also speaking, past chairman of the Igbo Community in the state, Chief Fidelis Onyebueke, said: “We condemn in its totality, the kidnapping exercise going on in Cross River State. Particularly, the victims have been Igbo. About 80 per cent of them have been Igbo. We are not fighting the government but we are saying is that government should put more efforts in the security, because it is the priority in any government. We know that Governor Ben Ayade is doing his best. But we urge him to more effort, particularly where our ethnic group is involved in this kidnapping exercise. We know that other ethnic groups are also victims, but majority are Igbo. It would seem as if Igbo are not wanted in the state. But also we know the government is favourable to us Igbo to do business here, but the problem is the few individuals having selfish commercial interests to use Igbo as baits to make money which is very bad. This is affecting the tourism status of this state. We appeal to all the security agencies to sit up, because it would seem as if there are lapses. They should put more effort to make sure that Igbo feel more secure in this state. A situation where 80 per cent of the victims of kidnapping are Igbo, it is not in the best interest of this state, because it would seem as if Igbo are targets, whereas they are not. It only seems so. We appreciate the efforts of the government and security agencies. But in the end, result is what we need.”
The Secretary of the Igbo Community, Prof Rufus Okoro, also said: “The issue of kidnapping in Nigeria today is not new. We know that government, even at the Federal level, is doing a lot to see how they can curb it. But in Cross River State, it is becoming too rampant and the targeted groups seem to be the Igbo. If 80 per cent of the kidnapping is done and an Igbo man is involved, ordinarily one can say they are only kidnapping Igbo people. So the government of the state has to beef of security and have a good security network.”
The President of Abia Communtity Cross River, Prince Raphael Atulomah, added: “I am calling on the state assembly to make laws that would prescribe capital punishment for kidnappers so it would drastically reduced. The thing is not helping the Igbo here. If Igbo are affected here, everybody knows that they help the state economically to move forward. If they close their shops and businesses, it would affect the economy of the state and we don’t that to happen. So, we want the state government to do something about it.”
