Militancy and violence as a catalyst to kidnapping in Nigeria
| Author | Christopher Eraye Michael,Eke Chijioke Chinwokwu |
| DOI | 10.1177/1461355719832619 |
| Published date | 01 March 2019 |
| Date | 01 March 2019 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
Article
Militancy and violence as a catalyst
to kidnapping in Nigeria
Eke Chijioke Chinwokwu
Federal University Lafia, Nigeria
Christopher Eraye Michael
Federal University Lafia, Nigeria
Abstract
This study examines the concept of militancy and violence as a catalyst for kidnapping in Nigeria. The study acknowledges
that there may be violent and non-violent militancy, but kidnapping is always forceful and violent in nature. Nigeria has
witnessed and continues to witness various forms of mi litancy and violence, which have generated a booming new
enterprise in the form of kidnapping for ransom. Government efforts to address these problems have been
discriminatory, sentimental and engulfed in ethnicity. The lop-sidedness and apathy shown by the government in
thwarting this menace has led to militants’ demands for self-determination and sovereignty. Triggers for militancy, such
as social injustice, oppressive policies, marginalization and resource control, seem to have no bearing on government
agenda and policy. There is mistrust as to the intent of the government in containing the rising profile of militants and
kidnappers, thereby creating fear i n the minds of Nigerian citizens. We re commend among other actions: re-valu e
orientation, good governance based on justice and the rule of law, and reform of the criminal justice system.
Keywords
Militancy, militant, violence, kidnapping, Nigeria
Submitted 05 Dec 2017, Revise received 14 Aug 2018, accepted 31 Jan 2019
Introduction and statement of the
problem
Since the civil war in the early 1970s, there has been an
observable upsurge in violent crime with the use of devas-
tating weapons accompanied by massive loss of life. Igbo
(2007: 158) was apt to say that ‘the end of the civil war in
January 1970 witnessed the emergence and widespread use
of firearms in robbery’. The civil war provided a platform
for the proliferation of dangerous weapons, which ended up
in the hands of violent criminals. Consequently, violent
crimes such as murder, rape, kidnapping for ransom,
trans-border crime, cultism, militancy and terrorism, began
to gain prominence and acceptance in Nigeria. This prob-
lem is exacerbated further by increased ‘inequality and
injustice, ethno-religious conflicts, porous borders, rural-
urban drift, poverty, and unemployment’ (Abdu and Okoro,
2016, cited in Ojewale and Nyamekye, 2018: 1). As a
result, Nigeria has become very unsa fe as lives and prop-
erties are destroyed, and the government is seemingly
unable to provide the necessary security for its citizens
(Chinwokwu, 2017, 2018). The cataclysm that has befal-
len the Nigerian state has attracted international condem-
nation because it has made Nigeria a risky country in
whichtodobusiness.
Never before has peace in Nigeria been threatened as
much as in the past two decades, during which time the
country has experienced various types of attack, resulting
Corresponding author:
Eke Chijioke Chinwokwu, Federal University Lafia, Akun-Obi Road, Lafia,
Nasarawa 111111, Nigeria.
Email: eke.chinwokwu@gmail.com
International Journalof
Police Science & Management
2019, Vol. 21(1) 17–35
ªThe Author(s) 2019
Article reuse guidelines:
sagepub.com/journals-permissions
DOI: 10.1177/1461355719832619
journals.sagepub.com/home/psm
from the emergence of militant groups, and kidn apping,
especially for ransom. In fact, militancy, terrorism, armed
robbery, rape, murder, kidnapping for ransom and other
violent crimes have and still do ravage the country, thereby
creating great panic and insecurity, with detrimental effects
on human life and property. Youth involvement in mili-
tancy and kidnapping for ransom has become common and
is a booming business for youth in most cities across
Nigeria. This has put Nigeria in an un welcome position
within the community of nations across the globe. At the
18th African Reinsurance Forum in 2012 at Balaclava,
Mauritius, the African Insurance Organization reported that
Nigeria was the global headquarters of kidnap for ransom.
The report showed that Nigeria accoun ts for *34%of
world’s cases of kidnap for ransom; making kidnap for
ransom a booming business for terrorism and kidnap insur-
ance (Catlin, 2012; Salihu, 2015). Terrorism has yielded a
business opportunity for jobless youths in Nigeria who
undertake kidnap for ransom.
In 2007, the chairman of the Senate Committee on Niger
Delta Peace and Conflict Resolution, Senator David Brigidi
said that ‘Nigeria lost an estimated and 58.3bn in oil rev-
enue to crisis in the Niger Delta in the last nine years’
(Nwachukwu and Ekwere, 2007 cited in Chinwokwu,
2013: 265). During this period of militant uprising in the
Niger Delta, violent crime and kidnapping for ransom
emerged with greater impunity in South South and South
East Nigeria. The incidence of militant activities/kidnap-
ping for ransom was so intense that virtually all kidnap-
pings between January and July 2010 occurred in the South
East and Niger Delta regions (Akasike and Adelekan,
2010). It was reported that South East Abia state had the
most incidents, with 110 people taken hostage. Total
income generated (for criminals) from kid napping stood
at an estimated 10 billion Naira (Akasike and Adelekan,
2010). Militant activities increased general levels of inse-
curity in Nigeria, with violence and kidnapping for ransom
strategic operational tools.
The then president, Goodluck Jona than, acknowle dged
that the wave of violent crime in parts of Nigeria, includ-
ing militant activities, kidnapping, armed robbery and
assassinations, presented a security challenge. He con-
fessed that these problems were a serious threat to national
security, and must be confronted head-on and defeated
(Soriwei, 2010). However, the government was not able
to put into place the security interventions required to
contain the violence. The result was that Nigerians con-
tinued to live in fear of being the next victim of a kidnap-
ping or violent attack.
With the rise of the religious fundamentalist group
known as Boko Haram in North East Nigeria, the issue of
violence and kidnapping took a different and devastating
turn. Violent attacks and kidnapping became weapons by
which to destroy lives and properties. The January 2012
Human Rights Watch report on Nigeria put the number of
deaths due to Boko Haram militancy and violence between
2009 and 2011 at 935 (Laden, 2012). The National Emer-
gency Management Agency in Nigeria declared a total of
377,701 internally displaced persons as a result of religious
militancy and violent attacks across northern Nigeria
(Laden, 2012). In July 2014, the International Organization
for Migration established a displacement tracking matrix to
assist the government in collecting and disseminating data
on internally displaced persons. As of April 2015, the dis-
placement tracking matrix had recorded *1,538,982
internally displaced persons in North East and North Cen-
tral Nigeria (Internal Displaced Monitoring Centre
(IDMC), 2015). In 2014, more than 276 schoolgirls were
kidnapped by Boko Haram in Bornu State. In addition, 630
people were kidnapped between May 2016 and May 2017
(Abdallah et al., 2017). On 19 February 2018, Boko Haram
kidnapped *110 girls from the Government Girls Science
and Technical College, Dapchi in Yunusari Local Govern-
ment Area (LGA) of Yobe state (Bolaji, 2018). Today,
Nigeria has over 3.3 million internally displaced persons
and is ranked third in the world (Ejiofor, 2015; IDMC,
2015). These internally displaced persons are a conse-
quence of militant attacks, violent conflict/kidnapping
which have ravaged and continue to ravage devastate the
country. Some of the kidnapped persons have been
released, but not without individuals and the government
paying handsomely.
Research methodology
This paper relies heavily on secondary data. The study was
carried out through an analysis of reports on militancy,
violence and kidnapping in Nigeria and around the globe.
Extant and relevant literature on militancy and violent
crimes were reviewed with the objective of situating and
explaining the subject with clarity.
Conceptual explanation of terms
Militancy most often indicates violence and extremism, but
this may not always be case. The word comes from mili-
tant, which has its origin in the Latin word militare, mean-
ing ‘to serve as a soldier’. The related contemporary kin
word is ‘militia’, which is viewed as a defensive organiza-
tion that came out of the Anglo-Saxon word fyrd. Basically,
a militant is said to engage in violent action against per-
ceived injustice and oppression (Firdous, 2016; The Free
Dictionary, 2016). However, contemporary use of the word
is sometimes broadened to depict those with a strongly held
view or ideology. In most cases, it is also misinterpreted as
denoting a terrorist. The word militant can thus be used to
18 International Journal of Police Science & Management 21(1)
To continue reading
Request your trial