At a point Rivers State was almost synonymous with militancy and kidnapping. Militancy gave way later but kidnapping remains. It has, however, reduced drastically in the last two months. A 10-million man campaign launched by Police Commissioner Tunde Ogunsakin promises to further spoil business for the ‘bad boys’, writes PRECIOUS DIKEWOHA
Check out the cars of many of the rich and famous in Rivers State and chances are that the cars are bullet-proof. It is not that they just wanted to waste their money; it was a guide against kidnappers and other criminals. But while the rich and famous can afford to protect themselves with armoured cars, the poor and the middle class cannot. So, they fell prey to kidnappers. There were even instances where the kidnappers went after the wives, children or relatives of the rich who hid in armoured cars. At least 20 people were kidnapped monthly before things began to change in February.
The end seems here for kidnappers. Rivers Police Commissioner Tunde Ogunsakin last Friday launched a one million man anti-kidnapping campaign. Already, prominent indigenes of the state, such as Deputy Governor Tele Ikuru, have signed the register, volunteering to give information that will help police nail kidnappers.
Prominent youth organisations, such as the Ijaw Youth Congress (IYC), have also signed up to the campaign.
Speaking at the launching of the campaign, Ogunsakin described the initiative as “the first of its kind in the history of the Southsouth”.
He said: “This gathering is reminiscent of the January 10, 1920 League of Nations meeting to put a stop to a general enemy of mankind; war at the time. This initiative would not have come at a better time than now seeing that we are hard-pressed to take a definite and collective stand against our common foe; Kidnapping.
“The relationship between both occasions of history is marked with a determination to achieve sustainable results. For the former, success was recorded when the all powerful United Nations was ultimately formed to forestall any future world war. As it concerns our cause today, victory will be achieved when we bring Kidnappers to their knees and make this State a haven of peace and order. This task seems enormous but dwindles in magnitude when we pool efforts together.
“ I am sure you all must be wondering why we chose to adopt this strategy of bringing people to discuss and find lasting solutions to the blowing wind of kidnapping. The answer is simple; we need to see the crime from different perspectives so as to obtain a holistic approach to tackling it. It is important to opine at this point that the Rivers State Police Command has identified a need to place more emphasis on prevention of the crime as we continue in our post kidnap response. We also see the pressing need to involve the general public in combating the menace.”
Ogunsakin said when he resumed as CP in Rivers last February kidnapping was the most worrisome crime he was confronted with. The figures were just alarming. Over 20 cases were reported monthly, with the victims cutting across every age grade, religion, creed and social status. He added that people in government and businesses were not spared by the kidnappers.
“As Police officers, my men (Anti Kidnapping Unit in particular) and I were deeply concerned and began conscious efforts to reduce the crime. I announce to you today that we have been able to reduce the crime by over 50 per cent with less than 10 cases recorded monthly. Even this doesn’t suffice for us, as a single case is bad enough.
“Kidnapping as we all know is a big phenomenon affecting every organisation, individual and community. Kidnappers hide under the façade that justice and equitable distribution of natural resources is a farce in our society and as such they are free to grasp as much as they can, while they can. The quest for immediate wealth is also a major cause of the increase in this crime in Rivers State. “
He referred to a September 14, last year report by The Economist which shows that Nigeria contributes 26 per cent of cases of kidnapping globally and has been recently tagged the second most dangerous place to live in largely because of the spate of crimes, including kidnapping.
Ogunsakin said: “This has coincided with a drop in the nation’s Foreign Direct Investment by $2.6bn in the last three years. I will make bold to state at this point in my speech that Rivers State, the Southsouth and Nigeria’s development in general are under attack by various forms of criminal activities with terrorism/kidnapping at the top of the list. We cannot surrender to it; neither can we relent in our crusade against it.
“The “STOP KIDNAPPING campaign” is not a mere campaign. It’s our noble effort in taking policing above the present bar of arresting, investigating and prosecuting, to a point where the community is viewed as one impregnable tool for policing. As earlier pointed out; emphasis on prevention is paramount. The campaign is one of the humble attempts of the Police in Rivers State to create awareness and point to information sharing as a key to successfully ending this scourge. Members of the public are to be vigilant and cooperative at the same time. Every one of you here is a stakeholder in this effort and the time to view the Police as a friend is now.”
The campaign is to be launched in the Area Commands and Divisions to encourage citizens to file complaints. Part of the plan is to also get the people to march in solidarity through the streets of Rivers State and sign a 10-million man register in support of the campaign.
The campaign also integrates churches and other religious bodies because “the family and religious bodies still serve as very powerful tools in the socialisation and acculturation of our children and youth”.
