Nigerian are miffed and this is true of the grim situation on the ground: gunmen are running riot, invading homes and abducting innocent citizens and demanding for ransom. The ones who are lucky to pay are returned alive while the others not fortunate are subjected to torture. In Zamfara State, gunmen reportedly abducted 19 people during congregational prayers; in ABU Zaria, gunmen abducted a staff, wife and a daughter; last week in Nasarawa, gunmen abducted the APC Chairman; closely following this, the Abuja-Kaduna Highway is now a den of kidnappers so also the Abuja-Lokoja highway. The Benin-Auchi highway is no different with gunmen mounting assaults in broad daylight. As fear envelopes Nigerians more gory tales emerge, some of uniform personnel’s also fell in their trap on their way to their new base in Zamfara. This is not to mention the rampant cases of cult wars that’s has claimed several lives leaving Nigerians to rue their faith. What is more is not the fact that security men are not putting their best, but Nigerians are worried that they have not seen any “operation crocodile smile 4” to rein in these bad elements; neither have they seen the deployment of 30,000-40,000 policemen as it is done during governorship elections or primary to select ticket bearers. Now the ominous silence has raised further questions: to whose benefit is the spate of abductions? The rulers who sit idly and continue to earn their salary or the masses who continue to get killed? This is serious when weighed on the scale as the picture being painted by the government is not palatable. A cross-section of Nigerians believes that if the same efforts deployed to construct a railway to Niger republic, for example, is the same dished out to contain kidnapping, there would have been at least some results. But now, their hope has faded. Despite the spike in abductions, kidnapping, banditry and robbery, no senior official has de3emed it fit to resign neither has anyone be punished. It is business as usual with everyone going about normal duties leaving a minute of thought for those unfortunate to be kidnapped. That is the way of life at the moment with the nation sliding once again into another recession.
