The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has urged Nigeria’s intelligence community and the armed forces to adopt techniques similar to those used by the Army in Borno State, or more advanced intelligence-led strategies, to apprehend kidnappers before they negotiate and collect ransoms from victims’ relatives.
The group called on the Minister of Defence, Christopher Gwabin Musa, the Chief of Defence Staff, the National Security Adviser, and the service chiefs of the Army, Air Force and Navy to establish a joint committee to identify saboteurs and criminal elements within the armed forces allegedly aiding terrorism, kidnappings and other serious crimes that have gone largely undetected for years.
According to HURIWA, rooting out saboteurs must be a priority if Nigeria is to defeat terrorists and their affiliates, some of whom it alleged are also involved in human organ trafficking.
HURIWA expressed optimism that if the intelligence community and the armed forces replicate the intelligence-led approach of Operation Hadin Kai, the military joint task force for counter-terrorism in the North-East, kidnappers and terrorists would be unable to freely negotiate and collect ransoms.
It cited the operation’s success in identifying Shariff Umar as a key coordinator of recent suicide bombing activities in the region, adding that continued ransom payments suggest the presence of internal saboteurs benefiting from the multi-billion-dollar kidnapping industry.
The group questioned the effectiveness of the military police and the roles of intelligence agencies, including the Department of State Services, asking why the communications of terrorists and kidnappers have not been adequately monitored to enable their arrest for crimes against humanity.
HURIWA challenged the Army hierarchy to scrutinise serving officers suspected of supporting kidnappers and terrorists, warning that such actions actively undermine security efforts to curb attacks and ransom-driven abductions across parts of the country.
The group said it was shocked that, despite billions of naira allocated annually to security, kidnappers and terrorists continue to operate freely. It highlighted the abduction of the Kwara State traditional ruler, the Oniwo of Aafin, Oba Simeon Olaonipekun, his son Olaolu, and other villagers, for whom a ransom of N450 million was reportedly demanded.
HURIWA described the alleged inability of the armed forces to track kidnappers through communication devices as a serious threat to national security, particularly given the substantial investments made in crime-fighting technologies in recent years.
Addressing widespread kidnappings in Kwara State, the group recalled a trafficking case in Mali involving a Nigerian woman, where Malian armed forces swiftly intercepted and arrested the suspects using intelligence monitoring tools. An anti-human trafficking activist, P. Michael, recounted how the case was resolved within hours.
The activist contrasted this with Nigeria, where kidnappers often succeed in collecting ransoms, allegedly due to collaboration with some security personnel.
HURIWA urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to give the service chiefs a three-month deadline to reduce kidnappings and ransom collections by at least 25 per cent or face dismissal.
