Peter Obi warns against normalizing abductions, ransom demands in Nigeria
Peter Obi, the presidential candidate for the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), has issued a warning to Nigerians against normalizing abductions and ransom demands in response to recent violence in the Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State.
In a statement shared on social media platform X, Obi condemned the rising incidents of kidnapping, citing reports indicating that some individuals who were abducted have been killed while others remain missing. He previously highlighted concerns on August 27 regarding the abduction of approximately 600 Nigerians, including women, children, and the elderly, amidst additional reports of fatalities among other victims.
Obi also referenced a disturbing incident involving a bandit group that allegedly beheaded a Nigerian and delivered the severed head to a local community leader as part of a N50 million ransom demand.
“If the reported killings were intended to exert pressure on the community and extract more money for those still being held, we must confront a grim reality: human lives are being manipulated as bargaining chips,” Obi stated.
He urged Nigerians to reject the notion that mass abductions, ransom payments, and violent levies are inevitable aspects of daily life in the country. “At what point do we, as a nation, decide that this is no longer acceptable?” he questioned.
Obi called for enhanced intelligence-led operations, improved coordination among security forces, better equipment for law enforcement, effective border protection, and ongoing actions against criminal networks.
“The primary responsibility of government is the security and welfare of its citizens,” he noted, asserting that while politicians gear up for elections, the public seeks a more fundamental right: the right to live safely.
“Our prayers must be matched with action. No criminal group should dictate who lives or dies anywhere in Nigeria,” Obi concluded.
