IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/h/spr/sprchp/978-981-13-8215-4_12.html
   My bibliography  Save this book chapter

The Evolving Threat of Kidnapping for Ransom in Nigeria

In: Internal Security Management in Nigeria

Author

Listed:
  • Freedom Chukwudi Onuoha

    (University of Nigeria)

  • James Okolie-Osemene

    (Wellspring University)

Abstract

Ever since the 1980s, kidnapping perpetrated for different reasons remains a feature of the landscape of criminal victimisation in Nigeria. However, the menace of kidnapping for ransom (K4R) has become a serious threat to human security in Nigeria. Extant literature on K4R has largely explored the historical background, motives, impacts, and state responses to this growing security threat. What is missing, however, is a critical examination of the broad typologies of operation to deepen our understanding of how K4R is perpetrated by organised criminal gangs. This chapter, therefore, focuses on the evolving threat of K4R in Nigeria. It constructs four main typologies—routine, invasion, highway, and insider models—based on insights gleaned from the character and modus operandi of kidnapping gangs. Utilising a theoretical bridging framework that combines the lifestyle theory, routine activity theory, and economic theory of crime, the chapter argues that the escalation of K4R derives from, and reflects, the crisis of the Nigerian political economy. It further discusses the factors that underpinned the escalation of K4R. The chapter concludes that the upsurge in K4R seems to be overwhelming the Nigerian Police, necessitating the adoption of extra measures by the Nigerian government such as the registration of mobile phone users, adoption or amendment of anti-kidnapping legislation by some states to provide harsh punishment (death penalty), the deployment of military task force, and demolition of structures or buildings owned or used by kidnappers for their operations, among others. These and other measures have proven largely ineffective in addressing the menace. To this end, the chapter recommends, among others, government’s implementation of measures to drastically reduce poverty, create employment for the teeming youth, curb widespread corruption, and evolve a reliable national identification system, and the capacitation of security and law enforcement agencies through proper training and equipment.

Suggested Citation

  • Freedom Chukwudi Onuoha & James Okolie-Osemene, 2019. "The Evolving Threat of Kidnapping for Ransom in Nigeria," Springer Books, in: Oshita O. Oshita & Ikenna Mike Alumona & Freedom Chukwudi Onuoha (ed.), Internal Security Management in Nigeria, chapter 0, pages 233-258, Springer.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:sprchp:978-981-13-8215-4_12
    DOI: 10.1007/978-981-13-8215-4_12
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    To our knowledge, this item is not available for download. To find whether it is available, there are three options:
    1. Check below whether another version of this item is available online.
    2. Check on the provider's web page whether it is in fact available.
    3. Perform a search for a similarly titled item that would be available.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:sprchp:978-981-13-8215-4_12. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.