The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the National Assembly to amend the Counter-Terrorism Act to designate kidnappers as terrorists, citing the escalating threat of abductions to national security and economic stability.
In a statement issued on Monday, HURIWA’s National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, highlighted figures from a recent SBM Intelligence report showing that at least 257 people were kidnapped in Nigeria’s South-East between July 2024 and June 2025, accounting for 5.6 per cent of the national total of 4,722 abductions.
“The government must act now. We hope the government is not waiting for one of the governors or a very prominent national legislator to be abducted by kidnappers before swift, comprehensive, and effective steps are taken to combat kidnappings,” Onwubiko said.
HURIWA criticised the deployment of security personnel to protect top officials while ordinary citizens remain vulnerable, describing it as a “disgraceful” approach to public safety.
The group cited SBM Intelligence’s report titled Locust Business – The Economics of Nigeria’s Kidnap Industry: A 2025 Update, which identified Enugu as leading the Southeast with 123 kidnapping cases, followed by Anambra (63), Imo (42), Abia (27), and Ebonyi (2).
According to the report, kidnappers demanded over ₦1 billion in ransom in the region but received only ₦157.55 million, representing 6.1 per cent of the ₦2.56 billion collected nationwide.
“The Southeast and South-South face targeted religious abductions and financial extortion,” HURIWA said, noting that clergy and professionals are among the most affected.
The group also condemned the recent abduction of Rev. Fr. Wilfred Ezemba of St. Paul Parish, Agaliga-Efabo, in Kogi State, and referenced findings by the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law showing that 19,100 churches have been destroyed in Nigeria over the past 16 years.
“There is a clear nexus between terrorism and kidnappings. The law must reflect that reality. We are calling for kidnappings to be classified as capital offences, with the severest punishment, including death by hanging, prescribed. Governors must also be willing to sign execution warrants in record time,” Onwubiko stated.
HURIWA further urged political, religious, and traditional leaders in the South-East to convene an emergency regional security summit to address the escalating crisis. The group specifically criticised Governor Hope Uzodinma, Chairman of the APC Governors’ Forum, for spending extensive time in Abuja attending to presidential activities while insecurity persists in his state and region.
“The time to act is now. The bloodshed, fear, and economic paralysis in the region must end,” HURIWA said, stressing that only decisive legislative and executive actions can reverse the worsening security situation, warning that inaction would amount to complicity by silence.
