Kidnapping continues to be a major problem in Nigeria, and things were no different on Sunday when four Catholic reverend sisters were abducted in Imo State, according to reports. Per Reuters, the women were traveling along Okigwe-Enugu Road — an area which is notoriously known for kidnappers — on their way to church when their vehicle was halted before they were captured by a group of men.
“It is with great pain that we bring to your notice the kidnapping of our Sisters: Johannes Nwodo, Christabel Echemazu, Liberata Mbamalu, and Benita Agu,” the community’s secretary general, Sister Zita Ihedoro said in a statement on Sunday. “We implore for an intense prayer for their quick and safe release. May Jesus the Saviour listen to our prayers and may Our Mother Mary intercede for the unconditional release of our dear Sisters.”
This bandit and terrorist will never stop coming to Nigeria,they are desperate for survival and ready to kill and kidnap us,its either they do this or perish,so our response against this salvage is a matter of live & death,we must increase d military bases all over our borders,
— Africa Nationalist (@AfricaNational1) August 17, 2022
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The kidnapping comes just days after a Catholic priest named Chinedu Nwadike was also abducted along the same road. And while he was released two days later, the alarming rate of kidnappings in Nigeria, which has become a lucrative business and the quickest means to wealth, continues to surge and remains a national security challenge that law enforcement officers are relentlessly tackling by the day. It’s even been reported that a whopping ₦653.7 million ($1.5 million) was paid as ransom to kidnappers in Nigeria between July 2021 and July 2022.
The study was conducted by SBM Intelligence, laying significant importance on the ongoing problems that police are facing to reduce Nigeria’s failed attempts to reduce the risk of kidnapping rates, with churchgoers often being the prime target of these attacks.
As per the news outlet, ”Based on what we could verify, between July 2021 and June 2022, no fewer than 3,420 people were abducted across Nigeria, with 564 others killed in violence associated with abductions. In the ensuing period, N6.531 billion was demanded in exchange for the release of captives while a fraction of that sum (N653.7 million) was paid as ransom.”
”As of the exchange rates between the naira and the U.S. dollar on 1 August 2022, these figures translate to $9,806,306.31 and $1,126,126.13, respectively. We have taken care not to include the later ransom payments for the Abuja-Kaduna train incident as most of those victims were released in July 2022.”
Generally, food inflation numbers in Nigeria ease from August to October due to the domestic food harvest season – this might not be the case again this year as farmers are already complaining about the risk of kidnap or paying terrorists taxes in order to access their farms.
— . (@basilabia) August 22, 2022
Furthermore, eight Nigerian hostages were recently said to have been released by their kidnappers after paying ₦100 million, respectively, while another man, who is believed to be of Pakistani descent, paid ₦200 million for his freedom.
It was further stressed in the report that due to the alarming rates of poverty in Nigeria, many have diverted their attention to committing crimes where they can make a quick sum of cash.