This weekly update spotlights organized criminality in the Niger Delta with a focus on kidnap for ransom in Cross River State. According to data (see map above), over 65 incidents of kidnapping and more than 20 related fatalities were reported in Cross River State between January 2020 and September 2023. Recent incidents indicate a resurgence of kidnap for ransom in the State. In July 2023, for instance, a medical doctor with the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH) was reportedly kidnaped from her residence in Calabar, the state capital. In September, three residents including a clergyman and his daughter were reportedly abducted by gunmen at a satellite town in Calabar Municipal LGA. Also, in September, many travelers were reportedly abducted by gunmen in Ikang community, Akpabuyo LGA. In November, a professor was reportedly kidnapped from his residence at the staff quarters of the University of Calabar in Calabar Municipal LGA. More recently, on November 19, 2023, the local chairman of a political party and his son were allegedly abducted by armed kidnappers along Ikom-Ogoja Road in Ikom LGA.
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