The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has advocated the use of carrot and stick method as a panacea to the scourge of kidnapping rampaging several parts of Nigeria.
According to the human rights organization, security agencies should take the battle to the kidnappers while government should introduce welfare packages for the poor.
This was contained in the Id Al-Fitr message issued by the Director of MURIC, Professor Ishaq Akintola, on Monday.
“It is high time we addressed the issue of kidnapping squarely. Our approach to it in this country is absolutely wrong. We surrender to kidnappers and pay ransom so easily. We don’t want to die because we are too materialistic. We have forgotten that life in this world is ephemeral.
“The criminals are enjoying it because they are having their way. While we subscribe to the theory that this is an uprising of the poor against the rich, I must affirm that the kidnappers in particular have gone too far. They went too far by failing to differentiate between the rich and the poor working-class people. They pick anybody and compel the extended families and friends to pool their hard-earned resources together in order to pay ransom. It is time for the government, politicians, the press and the good people of Nigeria to adopt the ‘O to gee’ slogan and confront kidnappers headlong.
“Mr. President must give the marching order to the heads of all security outfits to eliminate all known kidnappers’ camps and hideouts. He must give them a deadline for this assignment. They are to perform or get sacked. We are aware that our securitymen have not been able to storm the kidnappers’ camps for fear of killing some of the victims, not because they are afraid of the kidnappers.
“But that was when the objective was to rescue the victims. They must now be given a different order. Their new task must be to use every legitimate means to stop further kidnapping. ‘O to gee’. The kidnappers’ dens must be raided even when some victims are still there. These are the same victims they are using as human shield and they will continue to intimidate society as long as we are not ready to damn the consequences.
“This is where Nigerians must cooperate with the government. We must be prepared to make sacrifices. Unless we do this, the kidnappers will continue to pick us one after the other and make us pay through our noses until virtual every Nigerian has fallen victim. It is certain that some of the kidnapped victims may be killed while some will be rescued if the kidnappers’ dens are raided. But we just have to face this grim possibility.”
