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Ransom, Revenge And Ruin: Unraveling The Southeast’s Security Nightmare

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Unknown gunmen, a misnomer

*N2.23 Trillion In Ransom Reveals Nigeria’s Shocking Kidnapping Toll—NBS

*Economic Hardship. Poverty, Unemployment Create Ideal Environment For Criminal Gangs—Retired British Soldier

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*The Term Unknown Gunmen A Misnomer–Activist

Southeast Nigeria, a region steeped in vibrant culture and abundant natural resources, yet grappling with a suffocating security crisis. Beyond the headlines of escalating violence lies a complex web of kidnappings, politically motivated assassinations, and the chilling rise of armed groups. This is more than just a bandit story; it is one woven from political grievances, economic inequalities, and the destructive effects of unchecked power. ROLAND OGBONNAYA writes about the escalating conflict, delving into the motivations behind the violence, the devastating effects on communities, and the desperate search for long-term peace.

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Tears and prayers filled the air on this Thursday afternoon as the remains of Rev. Fr. Tobias Okonkwo, priest of the Catholic Diocese of Nnewi, Anambra State, who was abducted and brutally murdered by gunmen in the state’s Ihiala area on December 26, 2024, were buried by priests, family members, and supporters.
His Lordship, Most Rev. Denis Isizoh, Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Aguleri, presided over the interment, which was concelebrated by the Bishop of Nnewi Diocese, Most Rev. Jonas-Benson Okoye, and the Auxiliary Bishop of Port Harcourt Diocese, Most Rev. Patrick Eluke.

Rowland Horsefall, a 34-year-old man who had been declared missing on September 10, 2024, was recently discovered stone dead in a Port Harcourt suburb.

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This tragic case began on November 1, 2024, when the police received a distress call from one Gloria Iyenemi, a resident of Peace Valley Estate in Woji Town, reporting the abduction of her son.

According to police, Horsefall left his home around 3:30 p.m. on September 10 to attend meetings on Dr Peter Odili Road and the Government Reserved Area in Port Harcourt. Horsefall contacted the mother around 9 p.m. and informed her that he was on his way home.

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“However, after a long wait, Iyenemi tried calling again, but all attempts to reach him failed,” the police said, Iyenemi received a phone call from Horsefall informing her that he had been abducted. She claimed that the kidnappers later demanded a ransom of N2.5 million for his release, but Iyenemi sent N300,000 as part of the payment.

Following that, the kidnappers threatened Horsefall’s girlfriend with death unless she transferred an additional N300,000 to his bank account, which she did without hesitation. However, Horsefall was never released. It was revealed that after receiving ransom payments, the gang beat the victim to death and dumped his body along Queens/Kings Bakery on Abuloma Road.

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One of the heartbreaking killings occurred during the holiday season in Ihiala, Anambra State. The community will never forget how their illustrious sons and Kingsman, Chief Donatus Onuchukwu and nine others, were brutally massacred at the Onuchukwu family residence during preparations for the burial of their late mother, Mrs Bridget Onuchukwu, at Umuike Ubahuekwem Ihiala. The violent gunmen killed Onuchukwu and nine others, including security personnel.
These are just a few of the recent kidnappings and killings in the southeast and environs.
The situation is a source of concern to many people, including the Anambra state government and residents. For example, the Elders and Stakeholders of Non-Indigenes of Anàmbra State (ESONA), had to raise an alarm over the continued state of insecurity in the state. The group, led by Alhaji Abubakar Sani (Chairman) and Chief Adebayo Adewusi (Secretary), requested that the Governor declare a state of emergency in at least 15 of Anambra State’s 21 Local Government Areas. They also expressed concern that Onitsha, once considered a safe haven, has been targeted by kidnappers and criminals.
The retired Anglican Archbishop of Nnewi Diocese, Most Rev. Dr Godwin Okpala, was abducted at Ezinifite in Aguata Local Government Area of the State and held in a den allegedly located at Umunze/Ogbunka axis in Orumba South council area for over two weeks.

The group identified Ogbunka, Umunze, Ajali, and other communities in the Orumba North and South Local Government Areas as no-go zones in the state that should be included in the State of Emergency.
Also recently, the Omambala Youths protested, accusing Governor Charles Soludo of not doing enough to combat insecurity in the state.
In a statement, the youths said, “Just like any other resident of Anambra State, Omambala Youths have been following the worsening dimensions of insecurity in Anambra, as observed by Fr. Ebube Muonso in his warning message.
“Several prominent individuals in Anambra were kidnapped and killed in December 2024. For example, on December 24, 2024, Hon. Justus Azuka, a lawmaker representing Onitsha North 1 state constituency in the Anambra Assembly, was kidnapped, and many believe he has died. On December 26, 2024, unknown gunmen brutally murdered Fr. Tobias Okonkwo, a Catholic priest from the Diocese of Nnewi, in the state’s Ihiala area.

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On December 27, 2024, three employees of Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing Company were kidnapped in the Nnewi area of the state and have yet to be released.
“On December 7, 2024, a retired Anglican Archbishop, Prof. Godwin Okpala, was kidnapped along with his personal driver in the Umuchu area of the state. During the same period, another Catholic priest, Fr. Nonso, was kidnapped, and Fr. Ebube Muonso, according to him, had to pay the police a sum of N1 million naira to track down the kidnappers and rescue the victim. This is just a sampling of similar occurrences in Anambra.
“We are therefore disappointed that instead of accepting the message from the pulpit with the maturity of a leader and attacking insecurity with the swiftness it deserves, the governor instead deployed his ‘attack dogs’ to go after the Catholic priest.” This does not sit well with the youths of the Omambala area, and we believe that other Anambra residents who witness kidnapping and violent crimes daily will feel the same way.

“No leader who cares about his people will attack anyone who offers constructive criticism. As state citizens, we are concerned about the increasing insecurity in our state. We are concerned that the efforts of the various security agencies operating in the state are insufficient to stem the tide. We are also disappointed that our governor, on whose shoulders the security of lives and property rests, is always unwilling to acknowledge that such a problem exists.”

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In what appeared to be a response to public desire and glamour, Governor Soludo formed an anti-kidnapping squad last week and, according to reports, has hit the ground running. Agunechemba operatives raided two compounds in Isiagu last Saturday, just a day after being launched by the state governor, Prof Soludo, and arrested some kidnapping syndicate members.

Drawing on recently released big data, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) revealed that Nigerians paid a total of N2.23 trillion in ransom between May 2023 and April 2024.
This sum was paid by households affected by kidnappings, highlighting the growing threat posed by criminal activity throughout the country.
According to the NBS’s most recent Crime Experience and Security Perception Survey report, an estimated 51.89 million crime incidents occurred across Nigerian households during the reference period in question.
The survey revealed that the North-West region had the highest incidence of crime, with 14.4 million cases reported, followed by the North-Central region, with 8.8 million incidents, and the South-East region, with the fewest, with 6.18 million incidents. This demonstrates that with political will, funding for the security apparatus, and gaining the trust and partnership of the South Eastern populace in providing real-time information on perceived criminal activities, crimes in the region can be prevented. Another strategy is to have forest guards patrol the forest promptly.

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The rise in kidnappings and killings in Southeast Nigeria, which are frequently blamed on “unknown gunmen,” is a complex security issue with multiple causes. Attributing the violence to a single factor is an oversimplification; rather, it is a combination of factors contributing to the escalating crisis.

According to security experts, the reasons for an increase in mindless killings and kidnappings are complex and interconnected. Ejindu Okafor, a British retired soldier and security analyst, believes one of the factors is criminality.

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He stated that pure criminality plays a significant role because kidnapping for ransom has been a lucrative business; those who were involved in armed robbery and 419 see kidnapping as an alternative because it is easy money, particularly in areas with weak law enforcement and limited access to justice.

The relative ease with which these crimes are committed, combined with the perceived low likelihood of arrest, encourages further participation. This is exacerbated by porous borders and the presence of weapons.
Okafor also stated that there is a strong argument that political grievances are a contributing factor to the violence. Feelings of marginalisation, perceived unfair treatment, and dissatisfaction with the political system among some segments of the population can be used by criminal elements to conceal their activities as political activism. This is why the Nigerian military and other security agencies have accused the IPOB, led by Nnamdi Kanu, of involvement. This presents a difficult situation for security forces, who may struggle to distinguish between legitimate political protests and criminal acts.
Security experts believe that ethnic and religious tensions may be contributing to the increase in these crimes. “While not as severe as in other parts of Nigeria, underlying ethnic and religious tensions can exacerbate existing security issues. These tensions, even if dormant, can be manipulated and used to justify violent acts, adding to the overall sense of insecurity.

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“Other factors include economic hardship. Poverty and unemployment create an ideal environment for recruitment into criminal gangs. Young people with limited economic opportunities may see joining these groups as a way to raise their living standards, even if it means engaging in illegal activities.”

Another critical factor is the region’s weak governance and security structures. Inadequate policing, corruption in law enforcement, and a lack of effective intelligence gathering all contribute to perpetrators’ impunity. In most cases, security personnel have been accused of involvement in some of these crimes. Several people have been implicated. The failure of security personnel to bring perpetrators to justice empowers them and encourages more violence.
The presence or absence of armed groups and vigilantes is associated with an increase in kidnappings and killings. While not always politically motivated, the presence of various armed groups, some with ties to organised crime and others with possible political affiliations, complicates the situation. These groups add to the overall instability and heighten the risk of violence.

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Who are the unknown gunmen?

The term “unknown gunmen” is a misnomer. While the identities of all perpetrators are not always immediately apparent, investigations frequently reveal connections to criminal networks, politically motivated factions, or even disgruntled elements exploiting the existing unrest. They are not a single entity, but rather a collection of individuals and groups with diverse goals and levels of organisation. Some are motivated primarily by financial gain, while others may have political agendas, personal vendettas, or pure criminality.

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Torkwaase Sar, an activist based in Benue State, told Saturday INDEPENDENT that the success of “unknown gunmen” in overpowering security personnel and fleeing is due to a number of factors, including intelligence gaps. According to Mr. Sar, security forces frequently lack the intelligence needed to anticipate and prevent attacks. Typically, terrain and access issues impede quick response times, while collusion and corruption within the security apparatus may jeopardise operations and investigations. In some cases, the gunmen may have superior weaponry or tactical advantages, while others may have tacit support and protection from members of the community, preventing effective arrest.

Okafor, Sat, and Hon. George believe that insecurity and violence in the Southeast are a result of both political motivations and pure criminality. “It is a complicated interplay in which criminal activities are frequently masking or exploiting political tensions and grievances. Disentangling the two is critical for developing effective strategies to combat insecurity,” Okafor said.

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According to an investment expert, Hon. Ebube Ebisike-George, with the Nigerian government constantly failing to fulfil its duties to its over 230 million population, particularly as the world’s poverty capital, there is an admixture of issues that have given rise to the challenges of violent crime, particularly mindless killings and kidnapping. He emphasised the importance of understanding that poverty and crime frequently occur together.

However, analyses show that inequality, rather than poverty, is the driving force behind crime. The level of inequity in Nigeria is increasing at an alarming rate on a daily basis as a result of the removal of PMS subsidies, which drive the economy for the average citizen. This has affected every aspect of socioeconomic life. The resulting saga has been rising inflation, an increase in energy, poverty, an increase in the cost of living, squalor and hunger (which most Nigerians believe has been weaponised against them), depressions and suicides, homelessness, a lack of a social safety net, mass emigration (JAPA), mass protests that have resulted in crackdowns and gagging policies by the Bola Tinubu administration, and a slew of other rippling effects that are numerous but palpable.

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“Also, as the saying goes, “a hungry man is an angry man,” and the state of hunger and anger has implications for a state’s stability, security of lives and property, and progressive development footprint. When you add in the issue of anti-people policies implemented by governments at the state and federal levels, such as multiple taxation, police brutality, ethnic profiling in public institutions, religious strife, and so on, the tension in the system increases.

“Following from the foregoing, insecurity in Nigeria’s South East is caused by a slew of issues to which the people of that region are reacting… (there is an adage that action and reaction are equal and opposite). Some of these issues include a clear perception of people’s marginalisation, as evidenced by the Tinubu Government cabinet, which has few Igbos in key positions, particularly in the country’s core security architecture.

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“The people of the South East feel excluded from the protective shield of statecraft.” The other is the large number of checkpoints found en route to the Eastern region, which have become conduits for extortion of the people by the heavily armed security personnel who man the region’s roads. This has driven up prices of food, other goods, and services, with the potential to entrench hunger and strategic poverty, leading to violent insurgency.
“In a report released and published by Crisis Group, it accused Nigerian security and law enforcement agencies of pocketing up to N100 billion in roadside bribery and extortion in the South-east region of the country alone over the last three years, which has continued to this day. The other issue is Mazi Nnamdi KANU’s continued incarceration despite various interventions by courts and international institutions that have advocated and pronounced cases in favour of his unconditional release from detention after he was miraculously delivered to Nigeria from Kenya (which has a reputation for institutional kidnappings and forced disappearances). The SouthEast people and youth have a mindframe of institutional subjugation propagated against them by the APC Government for the last decade, which has led to calls for secession and non-state actors taking up arms against the government, while other armed groups have taken up crime in the form of kidnappings, ritual killing syndicates, armed robbery, among other violent crimes.

“The third is the perceived landgrab strategy of the Fulani Herdsmen Militia, whose cows eat crops and farm produce, causing immeasurable hunger, economic losses, and deep discontent among Igbo farmers. This has resulted in very violent reprisals not only in the Southeast but throughout Nigeria over the last decade,” Hon. George stated.
Addressing insecurity in Southeast Nigeria requires a multifaceted approach. This includes improving governance, strengthening law enforcement institutions, addressing underlying economic and social issues, promoting inclusive political processes, and addressing the root causes of violence. It is critical to move beyond simplistic narratives and conduct a thorough investigation into the motivations and networks involved in distinguishing criminal gangs from politically motivated groups. Without a comprehensive strategy that addresses both the criminal and political aspects of the problem, the cycle of violence is likely to continue.
*Adapted from Independent.ng

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