Kidnapping for ransom has emerged as one of the greatest threat to human security in the Niger Delta, especially in Rivers, Delta, Edo, Abia and Bayelsa states. From abduction of expatriate oil workers by ethno-regional agitators to draw international attention to environmental and developmental issues in the Niger Delta, the phenomenon has evolved into a protracted security threat and a fast-growing criminal enterprise in the region. It is increasingly changing in nature and expanding in scope, including mass kidnappings. Kidnapping for ransom has become a frequent occurrence and everyone is at the risk of being abducted.
According to data (see map below), over 300 kidnapping incidents have been reported in the Niger Delta since 2009. On March 5, 2020, for instance, an 80-year old mother of a local government chairman was reportedly kidnapped in Agudama-Ekpetiama community in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa state capital. The kidnappers reportedly attacked the residence of the victim, shot sporadically to scare away residents, abducted the octogenarian into a vehicle, and later escaped into the creek in a speedboat.
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