The Monumental Challenge of Kidnapping in Abuja:A Ticking Time Bomb

Abstract

Kidnapping is an infamous activity that has an enfeebled impact on any human society. The emergence of numerous security threats such as militancy, armed robbery, ritual murder, rebellion, and kidnapping has jeopardized the government's achievement of her priority. Using a vast literature review, and content material evaluation of in-depth personal interviews, the study reveals that Kidnapping in Abuja (Nigeria) will be attributed to unemployment, the mindset of political officeholders, poverty, terrorism, loss of harder penalty through the government, negligence of the part of the well-to-do in households and the quest for materialism/ fast money, corruption, weak security apparatus, porous borders, marginalization, and inequalities. Furthermore, the consequence of abduction is sensed at the economic, security, diplomatic, tourism, democracy, and socio-cultural spheres of the country's security. The study applied Robert Merton's theory of anomie, which best explains the crime of kidnapping in contemporary Abuja (Nigeria). Equally, the methodology of this study is qualitative research that follows a cross-sectional research design to explain how social and demographic characteristics predispose individuals in Abuja contemporary Nigeria to kidnap. The counselled answers consist of the powerful judiciary (rapid prosecution of perpetrators of kidnapping), involvement of religious leaders for value re-orientation, independence of the security agencies, job creation, and community policing. Others are mobilization and focused campaigns in combating kidnapping, involvement of traditional rulers in combating kidnapping, manipulation of rural-city migration, and motivation of security agencies to synergise amongst themselves.