PUNCH
Despite the increasing wave of abductions across the country, security experts and families of victims have said that most kidnapping incidents in the Federal Capital Territory and other parts of the country are not reported to the authorities.
Victims of abductions and their families in Abuja and other parts of the country, who spoke to our correspondents, said they paid ransoms without reporting the incidents to the police.
Also, Amnesty International and the Nigerian Society for Criminologists which spoke in separate interviews with The PUNCH on Monday, attributed the under-reporting of abductions to the fear of reprisals and lack of trust in the security agencies.
Families of victims and security experts told The PUNCH on Monday that many abductions were not reported in the media nor were the complaints lodged with the police.
Segun Adereti, the father of a 13-year-old girl, Miracle, who was kidnapped by an unknown gang in the Ikotun area of Lagos State on December 1 on her way home from school, explained how he was warned against involving the police.
Adereti, in an interview, said, “We’ve received threats warning us not to involve the police.’’
In Abuja, most victims and their families, who spoke to The PUNCH on Monday on the condition of anonymity because of the fear of attacks, explained why they did not report the abductions.
A businessman who was abducted in Kubwa, a suburb of Abuja recently, said his family simply paid the ransom and did not involve the police.
He stated,” We didn’t bother to report the incident because that may even put my life at risk. I did not believe the police would be able to rescue me. Instead of jeopardising my life, I thought it wise to pay the ransom and save my life. When there is life, there is hope and I can recover whatever that was given to the criminals.”
A civil servant, whose brother was abducted in the Deidei area of Zuba late last year, said they were warned not to report the case to the authorities.
