Matters arising from a Prelate’s kidnap

The kidnapping of the Prelate of the Methodist Church of Nigeria, His Eminence Samuel Uche came across to many as a shock not just because one more act of kidnapping had taken place in the country but also because it involved a highly ranked public personage and cleric as His Eminence.

As if the incident was not troubling enough in itself, the revelations by the cleric that followed on the heels of his release by his abductors have equally opened another Pandora’s box.

According to the cleric, a ransom of 100m was paid to effect his release. Also, he was emphatic that his abductors were of the Fulani ethnic stock. And then, he stated that there was every likelihood of military conspirators being involved in the saga.

Responding to the cleric’s revelations, the army has affirmed that they would need to fully investigate the matter and notably too, dismissed the cleric’s insinuation of a likely military involvement in the entire saga.
Indeed, Nigeria has been in a cauldron of insecurity and crisis for several years now.

Among others, the country has been wracked by a debilitating Islamist insurgency, nefarious activities of bandits, kidnappers and criminals of all shades and types.

The spiral of insecurity and crisis in the country has also continued to grow to the extent that even the South East of Nigeria that had hitherto been about the most peaceful zone in the country for very many years has now become enmeshed in the challenge. Incidentally, Uche’s kidnap took place in the South East which in more recent years has come to be greeted by its own share of the expanding Nigerian fiasco.

Evidently, a serious component of the challenge in the South East has been associated with what has come to be seen as the twin complexes of socio-economic and political marginalisation and the influx of criminal herdsmen into the region which had in turn precipitated the strong rhetoric and self-defence efforts of the since proscribed Independent People of Biafra, IPOB.

While the authorities continue to focus on IPOB as the core driver of the expanding theatre of insecurity in the region, researchers have also unveiled several other contributors to the crisis in the South East that include the antics of political players, rogue elements within the security services and traditional criminals who now see more viable options in shifting to explore the new levels of criminality.

In the view of this newspaper, three things, among others are needed to address the challenge of insecurity in the South East. One, an overwhelming expressed commitment on the part of the Federal Government to wholeheartedly tackle the crisis in all of its ramifications. Two, an inclination to explore out of the box solutions and notably political solutions as a way of dousing some of the emanating flash-points, and in this case in particular, giving serious thought and attention to the call for the authorities to encourage the granting of administrative bail to the leader of the proscribed Independent People of Biafra. Three, engaging international partners for increased help in addressing the nation’s challenge of criminality and insecurity.

It is in this wise then that we commend the Prelate of the Methodist Church for openly voicing out his observations on factors related to his own abduction, kidnapping and release. We urge the authorities to take cognisance of all that he has said with a view to ensuring that at they end of the day, they would assist them in charting out the best possible response to the insecurity crisis in the South East, and indeed all over the country.

The security crisis in the country is not unwinnable. But victory would only come from honest engagement. This for us is the crux of the matter. Let those that have the charge of our security affairs simply commit to carrying them out to the best of their ability and with a commitment to getting the job done no matter whose ox is gored