Introduction

Nigeria’s transition to a new democratic system on May 29th 1999, after

several decades of military rule generated both optimism and pessimism.
Most Nigerians expressed the hope that Nigeria was soon to take a place
commensurate with her human and natural endowments in the comity of
states; and that the attendant maladies of military rule were soon to be
forgotten. In Spite of this expectation, there were a handful of observers
who, nonetheless, expressed some doubts about the prospects of the
country blossoming into a Nigeria of the citizens’ dreams. Indeed, nobody
could have expected a ‘crisis-free’ evolution to the Nigeria of the citizens’
aspirations. In fact, it may not be out of place to submit that no country has
evolved to a ‘developed’ state without a series of epochal crises in its
political history. The Gilded Age in America, the French Revolution and
series of succession wars in the political history of the United Kingdom
suffice to explain the point1 . What is perhaps more disturbing in the
Nigerian case is the fact that Nigeria’s problems have increased, are
increasing and have most painfully begun to manifest serious destructive
traits that have the tendency of tearing the country apart2 . The Nigerian
state is challenged by disintegrating problems of ethnicity, fiscal
incompatibility and more threateningly, insecurity – with its plethora of
manifestations. More than anything else, insecurity has become a
characteristic feature of Nigeria. Many lives are lost in the country on daily
basis3 . Security is indispensable for human societies: it is somewhat, the
protective shield of all the sectors of an economy; this is because all the
other sectors and systems of a country are beholden to the security sector.
Thus, a state known for recurrent cases of insecurity may not protect its turf
for long. This must have moved the late literary guru, Chinua Achebe to
aver that “Nigeria is only united by hunger, poverty and general insecurity
of lives and property”4 . Amongst the many manifestations of insecurity in
Nigeria is the dreaded phenomenon of kidnapping and hostage kidnapping.
The genesis of kidnapping and hostage-taking in Nigeria, especially since
1999 is traceable to the militancy of the Niger Delta youths. This appears to
have received abundant scholarly attention. However, the spillover effects
of kidnapping and hostage-taking in the Niger Delta, especially on the
Southeastern region of the country has been understudied. In Anambra
State, for example, kidnapping and hostage-taking became so worrisome in
the period under review that nearly every family had a member kidnapped.
As worrisome as this trend was, scholarly enquiries on kidnapping and
hostage-taking in Anambra State seem not only scrappy but in fact,
rudimentary. The social and economic costs of kidnapping and hostage-
taking in Anambra State as well as the threats to human security in the
state appear to have been given little or no attention by historians of the
Nigerian security sector. This study, therefore, attempts to appraise the
phenomenon of kidnapping and hostage-taking in Anambra state; to
highlight the trends and patterns of this odious crime as well as its social,
political and economic costs in Anambra State. For ease and convenience,
the paper is divided into five parts. This introduction is followed by the
theoretical and conceptual explanations; the third section examines the
history, patterns and trends in kidnapping and hostage taking in Anambra
State in the period under review. The penultimate chapter discusses the
social, economic and security costs of kidnapping and hostage-taking in
Anambra state. The study is concluded in the fifth part which is the
conclusion and recommendations.
History, Trends and Patterns of Kidnapping in Anambra State, Nigeria.

Anambra state is situated on a generally low elevation on an eastern side

of the River Niger. The state has a total land area of 4,416 sq km, with a
population density of 840/ km(2, 22/sq m) 11. The state is known to have
derived her name from the Omambala River which is the most southerly
tributary of the River Niger. Anambra state shares boundaries with Enugu,
Imo, Abia, Rivers, Delta, Edo and Kogi states. Originally, Anambra state
was created in 1976 from the East Central State and its capital was at
Enugu. However, a further devolution of the Nigerian federation saw the
creation of a new state in 1991 which proceeded to inherit the old name of
the state- new Anambra state with capital at Awka12 . In any case,
Anambra state could be viewed as a macrocosm of the Nigerian state.
Going by the 2006 national census data, the state has more than four
million inhabitants, a population somewhat bigger than the population of
some modern nation states. Anambra state is a state of amazing contrasts.
Despite its huge demographic and material endowments, Anambra state
appears to have remained a toddler in the business of advancing the
welfare and security of its indigenes and inhabitants. A.U. Nnonyelu and M.
Nnabugwu put this clearer when they observed that: The creation of
Anambra State on August 27, 1991, was widely celebrated by all and
sundry as the citizens of the state saw it as a historic opportunity to put
Anambra state on the national map ahead of other states while spreading
development to all parts of the state. This celebration was short-lived. The
dream and expectation of the people of Anambra that the state will be
massively transformed have been cut short by the combined failure of
leadership and governance made worse by political banditry. The state has
been dwarfed, blighted and held hostage ever since…

Apart from the problems of governance and leadership, Anambra state in

many respects is a Pandora box. Thus, the state is said to have one of the
highest crime rates in the country14 . In fact, from 2009 to 2013, cases of
kidnapping and hostage taking became so prevalent in Anambra state that
most people only sighed and hissed whenever the newscasters summed
up the number of people kidnapped in a day. Anambra State appeared to
be the first state in the Southeast where kidnapping first became a thriving
multi-million naira business. In fact, from 2009-2013, the rate of kidnapping
in Anambra grew to such an extent that it became almost impossible to
keep track of the piling numbers of those kidnapped on a daily basis15.
Recall that on January 27, 2007 Ego Cordelia Uzoezie, the former
commissioner for Women Affairs in Anambra state was kidnapped on her
way from her former place of work - NwaforOrizu college of Education,
Nsugbe. Again, whether by design or default it happened that just a day
after the Nsugbe kidnapping saga; precisely on January 28, 2007, Pius
Ogbuawa, Nnewi based business mogul was kidnapped in front of his
church. He was later taken into captivity for several days before a ransom
ofN20 Million was paid for his freedom16. Two months later, two (2)
Chinese men and a Nigeria working with Innoson Industries Nigeria Limited
were also abducted at Nnewi. In April of the same year Anthony Enukeme,
chief executive officer of Tonimas was kidnapped17 Other prominent
persons who tested the traumatizing manhandling of kidnappers in
Anambra state during this period included: HRH MbamaluOkeke, a
traditional ruler of Abagana. He was kidnapped along with one of his red
cap chiefs and son. They were later rescued by the police18 . In August
2007, Michael Agaowo and his Liberian wife were kidnapped on the night
of their wedding. They were released two days after paying N15 Million as
ransom 19 Tochukwu Mbachu, chairman of the Nigeria Medical
Association; Anambra State was kidnapped and later released after an
undisclosed sum of money was paid to the criminals20 . OkeyChukwuogo,
former governorship aspirant of the People's Progressive Alliance, (PPA)
was kidnapped in the same 2007. In fact, from 2007 it appeared that the
kidnappers progressively became more daring and relentless in carrying
out their obnoxious activities. It is somewhat impossible to get the number
of people who had been kidnapped in Anambra state since 2007, when the
kidnapping business reached alarming proportions. This is more so
because of Nigerians’ poor attitude to information-keeping. Again, many of
the kidnapping cases were done outside the notice of security agencies (in
fact, the kidnappers in several cases killed the victims whose relatives
dared to notify the security agencies).Also, there were people who became
so traumatized after being kidnapped that they would rather not discuss it
with anyone. What is clear and unarguable, however, is that from 2007,
kidnapping and hostage grew into such a menace that every kindred in
Anambra State had one of their people kidnapped. Indeed, the kidnappers
saw no distinction between the money bags earlier assumed to be their
targets; they expanded their target - base to include ordinary business
men, people in the academia, the clergy, traditional rulers and even
children. Kidnappers in Anambra state in the period under review operated
in a discrete and dangerous manner. Like in most parts of the federation,
they abducted people when they believed they could get ransom paid. In
most kidnap cases, it would appear that there was an insider who knew the
victim very well.
The kidnappers monitored people up to their bedrooms; they knew much
about their victims’ families.

A wide range of causative factors are responsible for the kidnapping

that troubled the good people of Anambra State.

These factors can be viewed distinctively, yet they are intrinsically linked to
one another as one concept directly leads to another especially when
observed from a sociological perspective. They include moral and spiritual
bankruptcy, cultism and “oda-eshi '' Phenomenon, unemployment and
poverty, governmental insincerity and development, 58 proliferation of
small and medium arms and a share from the amnesty grant to the Niger-
delta youth.
Causes of Kidnapping

There are many causes of kidnapping around the globe, including:

● Unemployment

● Poverty

● Illiteracy

● Religion

● Greed

● Politics

● Corruption

Below, we'll examine each cause individually.

Unemployment

The high unemployment rate in many countries has forced citizens to find
other ways to make money—and some of those ways are illegal.
Kidnapping a rich person can be a lucrative business. A cash-strapped
unemployed person may believe that when he kidnaps someone who is
rich, he may be able to become rich himself.

Poverty
Any person who lives below $1.25 a day is living below the poverty line.
Poverty can propel people toward crime as a way to make ends meet.
Sometimes, a person who is poor might believe that kidnapping or other
illegal acts could provide the necessary money to start a new life—a life
that will no longer involve crime.

Illiteracy

Illiteracy is the inability to read or write. When people know how to read and
write, they can gain the skills they need in order to become educated, get a
job, and live a productive life. Literacy and education can also be an
important foundation upon which to build a deeper understanding of moral
judgment and decision-making.

Religion

Many kidnappings in the world today have their root cause in religion.
Some people love their religion so much that even when it teaches them
something that is wrong, they believe it is right. One religious leader may
want to take over another group—and order his men to kidnap his rivals.

Greed

Some people are not contented with what they have and wish they could
buy more and more things—whether it's fancy clothes, cars, houses, or
jewelry. This kind of person may turn to crime to make more money. A
wicked businessman can kidnap his business rival for a large ransom to
become richer.

Politics

Corrupt politicians may arrange for the kidnapping of their opponents.

Sometimes, they do this so that their opponents will make concessions or
change their votes on the issues.

Corruption

A society where corruption is rife is likely to experience a high level of

kidnapping. The truth is that if a government is corrupt and embezzling
public funds, citizens may react by kidnapping those corrupt politicians in
an attempt to recoup some of the stolen money.

Kidnapping Often Involves Torture or Rape

Kidnappers sometimes choose to torture their victims so that they can force
money out of their relatives or associates. Sometimes, they may even
torture for fun. One form of torture is rape.

Effects of Kidnapping
For the victims, there are many negative consequences of kidnapping,
including:

● Psychological trauma

● Fear and lack of trust

Psychological Trauma

The negative psychological effects of being abducted are huge, especially

for a child. Depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress syndrome
(PTSD) may last a lifetime.

Fear and Lack of Trust

In a society where the incidence of kidnapping is high, fear limits people's

lives and actions. They will always move with caution as they do not know
who might be the next target. The rich surround themselves with security
guards because of their fear of getting kidnapped.

Eradication of Kidnapping
There are solutions that may help reduce the rate of kidnapping, including:

● Training strong anti-kidnapping agents

● Monitoring the activities of the police

● Serious punishment for offenders

● Job creation

Training Anti-Kidnapping Agents

Any country that wants to fight kidnapping successfully must hire and train
capable agents to combat the issue. When law enforcement agencies are
actively involved, the incidence of this crime can be lessened.

Monitoring the Police

Reports show that the police are involved in some kidnappings. Notable
examples have occurred in Mexico. Eliminating the criminals within the
ranks of law enforcement is key.

The study identified the counselling strategies that could be used to remedy
insecurity and kidnapping of citizens in Anambra state. These strategies
include cognitive restructuring, community and online counselling,
individual and group counselling and orientation service. Use of
punishment however was rejected by the respondents. This is an indication
that they did not accept it as a counselling strategy to be used to remedy
insecurity and kidnapping. This could be because punishment by law
enforcement agencies has not reduced the occurrence of crime in Nigeria.
These findings are in agreement with Denga (2009) who asserted that
counselling psychology is replete with behavioural contingencies that can
be used to modify maladaptive behaviours, chronic frustration, misplaced
aggression, excessive love of cupidity (money) and other assorted or
variegated cargo of criminal behaviours. This implies that the insecurity
situation in Nigeria could only be resolved through provision of effective
counselling services. The calculated data indicates no statistically
significant difference between the responses of student counsellors and
professional counsellors on counselling strategies to remedy insecurity and
kidnapping in Anambra State. The null hypothesis which states no
significant difference in the mean ratings of professional counsellors and
student counsellors on counselling strategies to be used in remedying
insecurity and kidnapping in Anambra State was upheld. The findings could
be as a result of the fact that professional counsellors have been practicing
and have a wealth of experience and the student counsellors have also had
little experience as they have carried out counselling practicum and
obtained practical experience.

Conclusion
Consequent upon the findings of this study, the following conclusion was
drawn: Forms of insecurity prevalent in Anambra State are harassing and
dispossessing citizens of their personal properties, kidnapping people at
random to extort money from them, snatching bags and gold trinkets from
citizens both in the markets and on the streets and robbers breaking into
citizens' houses when they are out on business or work. Unemployment,
unequal distribution of resources, presence of thieves and pickpockets in
market places, drug abuse and quest for fast money are the major causes
of insecurity and kidnapping. No significant difference was revealed
between the responses of professional counsellors and student counsellors
on counselling strategies for remedying insecurity and kidnapping. In
addition, cognitive restructuring, community and online counselling,
individual and group counselling and orientation programmes were seen as
the major counselling strategies that could be adopted in remedying
insecurity and kidnapping in Anambra state. These findings would increase
awareness of forms and causes of insecurity in Anambra state and brine
into focus the counselling strategies that could be used to salvage the
situation by Guidance Counsellors.