By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Independent News ExpressIndependent News Express
  • Home
  • International
    InternationalShow More
    United Nations
    4th International Conference On Financing For Development Delivers Renewed Hope And Action For Sustainable Development
    3 months ago
    The African Development Bank and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) scale up drive for sustainable urbanization in Africa
    AfDB, UN-Habitat Scale Up Drive For Sustainable Urbanisation In Africa
    3 months ago
    UN
    North Africa: Green Climate Fund Approves Record $300m For FAO-designed Projects In Papua New Guinea, Saint Lucia, The Sahel
    3 months ago
    UNICEF
    How Wars Across Middle East, North Africa Affecting Children – UNICEF
    3 months ago
    UNDP
    UN Development Programme Welcomes Historic Deal On Sustainable Development Even Amidst Global Turmoil
    3 months ago
  • Africa
    Africa
    Show More
    Top News
    From Child Soldiers To Carpenters In The Democratic Republic of Congo
    3 years ago
    Egypt: United States Embassy Cairo Organizes Women And Environment Week
    3 years ago
    PeacePro
    Military Intervention In Niger Republic Will Amount To Digging Africa’s Grave – PeacePro
    2 years ago
    Latest News
     South Africa’s Think 20: Experts Address How Africa Can Bridge Digital Divide And Achieving Financial Inclusion
    1 week ago
    U.S. Africa Command Commander Visits West Africa, Underscores Partnership In Addressing Evolving Terrorism Threat
    2 weeks ago
    West Africa Regional Preparatory Workshop For COP30 On Climate Change Opens In Dakar
    2 weeks ago
    Systemic Racism Against Africans And People Of African Descent In Criminal Justice Systems Is Pervasive
    2 weeks ago
  • Corporate News
    • Media Outreach
  • Politics
    Politics
    Show More
    Top News
    Voters In Katsina Vow To Dump Buhairi, APC
    3 years ago
    My Son Must Win, Ondo State’s King Threatens His People
    3 years ago
    I Will Not Disappoint My Constituents, Dekor Reassures Ogoni People
    2 years ago
    Latest News
    EU, ADC Parley: Calls for Electoral Reforms To Guarantee Free, Fair, Credible Polls In Nigeria
    2 days ago
    NSC Chairman To Engage With Youth And Sports Stakeholders At The Nest Centre
    2 months ago
    Edo District Bye-election: SDP Candidate, Hon. Isidahomhen Promises To Pursue Best Interest Of Esanland 
    2 months ago
    PHOTOS: Vinod Obasa Takes Oath Of Office
    2 months ago
  • News
    • Agriculture
    • Breaking News
    • Tech
    • Maritime
    • Crime
    • Art & Culture
    News
    Show More
    Top News
    Ondo Governor, Akeredolu Begins Construction Of First Flyover In Akure
    2 years ago
    Celebration Of Life: Reverend Adewumi Jegede Of Later House Of God Assembly Buried Amid Pomp
    1 year ago
    Pa Abdulfatah Amoo Ayanwale
    Pa Ayanwale Dies At 76, Fidau Prayers Holds 8 August
    2 years ago
    Latest News
    Anambra Traditional Ruler For Burial 9 October
    2 days ago
    Lagos Hosts Eko Skills Development Initiative For Youths
    5 days ago
    October 1: Nationhood Must Translate Into Better Living Conditions For Nigerians, CAPPA Tells FG
    6 days ago
    EX-APC Chairman Sad Over Bandit Killings In Oke-Ode And Other Parts Of Kwara 
    1 week ago
  • Entertainment
    • Comedy
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Television
    • Concert & Events
    Entertainment
    Show More
    Top News
    Nigeria’s Glo(W)Ing Entertainment Industry: 19 Years Of Strategic Partnership
    3 years ago
    2023 Polls: Stay Tuned To These Channels On GOtv For Breaking News And Analysis 
    3 years ago
    Family, Friends Celebrate As Princess Zara Raji Turns Two
    2 years ago
    Latest News
    GOtv Stream vs. Traditional TV: Why Viewers Are Loving the Flexibility
    2 weeks ago
    Securing Africa’s Digital Future: Entertainment in Safe Hands
    2 weeks ago
    BBNaija S10: Joanna, Mide, and Isabella Clash as Denari and Tracy Exit the House
    3 weeks ago
    Akamai Adaptive Media Player 2: Bitmovin And Akamai Set New Streaming Standard
    4 weeks ago
  • Lifestyle
    • Fashion
    • Love & Life
    • Food & Drink
    • Travel & Tourism
    • Relationship
    • Sex
    Lifestyle
    Show More
    Top News
    Sanwo-Olu Receives TAMPAN Award
    8 months ago
    Radisson Hotel Group Announces Three New Hotels In Nigeria
    2 years ago
    Fanti Carnival Returns To Lagos This Easter Sunday
    6 months ago
    Latest News
    Ambassador Raffy Bello Greets Imperial Majesty, Ooni Enitan-Ogunwusi, As Olojo Festival Begins In Ile-Ife
    2 weeks ago
    Preserving African Culture: Polaris Bank , Chivita, And Danone Support CIKDAS’ Youth Literary Initiative
    1 month ago
    Nigeria, Switzerland Takes Major Steps Towards Repatriation Of Artifacts And Cultural Cooperation
    1 month ago
    Archbishop Ugorji Hails St. Helen’s Choir As One of the Best Choirs in Owerri Archdiocese
    1 month ago
  • Business
    • Banking & Finance
    • Oil & Gas
    BusinessShow More
    Unity Bank Shareholders Approve Merger With Providus Bank
    1 week ago
    Yomi Joseph Digital Pr Launches 360° Marketing Solutions To Transform Brands Into Industry Leaders
    2 weeks ago
    Gov Abiodun Showcases Ogun Investment Opportunities At AfCFTA In Algeria
    4 weeks ago
    Intra-African Trade Fair
    Nigeria To Host Intra-African Trade Fair In 2027
    4 weeks ago
    Bank of Agriculture
    How Nigeria-Brazil Pact Will Boost Agricultural Investment, Food Security – BOA
    1 month ago
  • Health
    Health
    Show More
    Top News
    WHO
    WHO Raises Alarm Over Rise In Cholera Cases In Nigeria, Malawi, Cameroon, 7 Other Africa Nations
    3 years ago
    Tackling Preventable Diseases, Africa Needs To Vaccinate 33m Children To Put Progress Back On Track
    2 years ago
    USAID
    United States Partners Woman-Owned Nigerian Company To Fight Malnutrition
    2 years ago
    Latest News
    2025 World Pharmacist Day: Lagos Takes Healthcare To Ikorodu Communities
    6 days ago
    World Heart Day: Adopt Healthy Food Policies, CAPPA Tasks FG, States
    1 week ago
    Lagos Takes Fight Against HIV To Communities
    1 week ago
    Nigeria’s Health Financing: Lessons From Canada’s $32.5bn Tobacco Settlement
    2 weeks ago
  • More
    • Sports
    • Aviation/Transportation
    • Deliverance Hour
    • Industry & Labour
    • Insurance
    • Interview
    • Judiciary
    • Metro
    • Opinion
    • Property
    • Religious
    • Romance
    • Science & Discovery
Reading: Banditry A Lucrative Business Destroying Nigeria By Olatunbosun Awoniyi
Share
Notification Show More
Aa
Independent News ExpressIndependent News Express
Aa
  • Home
  • International
  • Africa
  • Corporate News
  • Politics
  • News
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • Business
  • Health
  • More
Search
  • Home
  • International
  • Africa
  • Corporate News
    • Media Outreach
  • Politics
  • News
    • Agriculture
    • Breaking News
    • Tech
    • Maritime
    • Crime
    • Art & Culture
  • Entertainment
    • Comedy
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Television
    • Concert & Events
  • Lifestyle
    • Fashion
    • Love & Life
    • Food & Drink
    • Travel & Tourism
    • Relationship
    • Sex
  • Business
    • Banking & Finance
    • Oil & Gas
  • Health
  • More
    • Sports
    • Aviation/Transportation
    • Deliverance Hour
    • Industry & Labour
    • Insurance
    • Interview
    • Judiciary
    • Metro
    • Opinion
    • Property
    • Religious
    • Romance
    • Science & Discovery
Have an existing account? Sign In
Follow US
  • Advertise
© 2022 Foxiz News Network. Ruby Design Company. All Rights Reserved.
Independent News Express > Blog > Opinion > Banditry A Lucrative Business Destroying Nigeria By Olatunbosun Awoniyi
Opinion

Banditry A Lucrative Business Destroying Nigeria By Olatunbosun Awoniyi

Last updated: 2023/09/02 at 4:44 PM
2 years ago
Share
Residents ran for their lives when bandits invaded a village in Zamfara State recently
SHARE

According to Wikipedia, a multilingual online encyclopedia, banditry is a form of organized crime committed by muggers, usually involving the threat or use of force. In modern usage, banditry can be equated with gangsterism, robbery, looting and theft. In Nigeria, banditry has now become a professional activity. Bandits hold field days in the center and north-west of the country and kidnap citizens, including school children. 

 Since the beginning of 2021, up to 950 students have been kidnapped from their schools, many of whom are still being held captive by their kidnappers. 

 According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), around 500 school children have been abducted in four separate kidnappings in central and north-western Nigeria in the last six weeks alone. 

- Advertisement -
Ad imageAd image

 The latest kidnapping occurred on Monday, July 5, 2021, when gunmen kidnapped 121 students at Bethel Baptist School in Kaduna, killing two security guards in the attack.

 Up to 136 students at Islamiyyah Salihu Tanko School in Tejina, Niger were kidnapped in May 2021 and the kidnappers demanded a ransom of £100 million. In June, 83 students and seven employees at the Federal Government College (FGC) in Kebbi state were abducted. 

 These and many other reported cases of bandit kidnappings impact the education of kidnapped students. The kidnapped students stayed away from school during their captivity, and some died because the ransom was not paid on time. 

 The education sector in Nigeria, like other sectors, has already been badly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic that ravaged the world last year.Schools, like other areas, were closed and students were unable to continue due to disruptions in the school calendar. 

 The level of education in Nigeria is gradually declining due to years of neglect in the funding sector combined with a lack of educational infrastructure and a shortage of teachers and staff. Many of the 276 schoolgirls abducted by terrorist group Boko Haram from a state girls’ school in Chibok, Borno state, are still missing and have no idea where they are. Student Leah Sharibu, a Christian among 121 students kidnapped more than three years ago in Dapchi, Yobe State, was also not released because she refused to convert to Islam. 

 In addition to the activities of bandits specializing in kidnapping students.T he senseless killings by the notorious Boko Haram, Islamic State of West Africa (ISWAP) province and its herdsmen continue to be a concern unaddressed by the Nigerian federal government. 

 Hundreds of thousands of people died in killings and massacres by Boko Haram and the Islamic State in West Africa, and in massacres by Fulani herders.

In the current government’s six years in power, insecurity has become cancerous, and the government lacks the political will to address it. Nigerians live in fear; Citizens cannot sleep with their eyes closed. There are fears that people are moving from one part of Nigeria to another due to the activities of kidnappers and bandits on the country’s streets. 

 The President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Rev. Samson Ayokunle, reported on the recent kidnapping of 121 students at the Bethel Baptist School in Kaduna, revealing that the national security forces are overwhelmed by the growing insecurity in the country. 

  Borno State Governor, Babagan Zulum and Colonel Abubakar Umar (rt.), a former military administration official, insisted that the Nigerian military lacked the manpower and equipment to wage an effective counterinsurgency war. 

 The situation of insecurity in the country and the federal government’s casual attitude towards the reduction are signs that some members of the government are taking advantage of it. How else to explain the fact that the military, especially the Air Force, with the millions of dollars that the government has allocated and spent to date to purchase military equipment, have failed to find the hideouts of the kidnappers, thugs and rebels who committed these crimes?  How could one explain how criminals, kidnappers, or insurgents would break into a school at random, kidnap 121 or more students, put them on motorcycles or trucks, and then take all the students on a long journey to their destination? detained without being intercepted by state security agencies. 

 The president of the  Kaduna Baptist Conference and owner of the Bethel Baptist School, Rev. Yahaya Adamu Jangado, is said to have said that the gunmen communicated with the school authorities by telephone to request food for the detained students. If something like this happened in countries like UK, Canada, America and many other major countries around the world, undercover security officers would intercept the conversation and act quickly to free the kidnapped students from their captivity. 

 The Nigerian government is acting in bizarre ways amid the myriad of insecurity issues plaguing the country. 

 Security officials such as Nigerian Police, Nigerian Army and other security officials who act quickly can only be seen when a coalition of civil society and Nigerian citizens take to the streets to protest, and then the Nigerian Police and Nigerian Army withdraw their deployed armor. to prevent Protestants from organizing a peaceful demonstration there.

An example of this is a protest organized by the Yoruba  Agitators  on Saturday 3 July 2021 in the Ojota district of Lagos. Armored tanks and Nigerian police were mobilized to the scene under the command of Lagos State Police  Commissioner  Hakeem Odumosu. , who was spotted in war camouflage and with a gun in hand. Protesters were dispersed as police intermittently fired, resulting in a stray bullet hitting and killing a 16-year-old girl, identified simply as Jumoke, an ice cream seller. 

 The question that needs to be answered is why do the security officers shoot fleeing unarmed protesters? 

 It is unfortunate that Nigerians have to endure this situation until the next elections. Until then, may God bless and protect the Federal Republic of Nigeria and her people.

*Olatunbosun Awoniyi is a public affairs analyst who wropte this piece from Lagos, Nigeria

You Might Also Like

Nigeria’s Health Financing: Lessons From Canada’s $32.5bn Tobacco Settlement

Nepal Bloodshed: Of Nigeria’s Big Masquerades And Gọntọ By Festus Adedayo

Maintaining African Neutrality In Ukraine Crisis

How schemers In The Presidency And Information Ministry Misled Tinubu To Remove Pedro As NTA DG And Recall Dembos

Makinde’s Rising Profile: Can Oyo Governor Lead PDP’s 2027 Presidential Charge?

INadminNG September 2, 2023 September 2, 2023
Share This Article
Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Whatsapp LinkedIn Telegram Email Print
Previous Article Suspected Fulani Herdsmen Attack Ogun Town, Asa-Iselu – Report
Next Article Demonstrators hold signs during a protest to urge authorities to rescue hundreds of abducted schoolboys, in northwestern state of Katsina, Nigeria, 17 December 2020. REUTERS/Afolabi Sotunde How Buhari’s Government Fueling The Menace Of Kidnapping Business
about us

Independent News Express (iNews Express), a publication of 4Ds Nigeria Limited, is birthed out of the desires of the founding fathers to report News as it is.

We value Professionalism, Excellence, Service, Creativity and Integrity.

The Company

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy & Policy

Quick Links

  • Advertise with us
  • Newsletters
  • Deal

Categories

Find Us on Socials

© Independent News Express. All Rights Reserved.
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Lost your password?