Lucky Obukohwo, Reporting
Reno Omokri, Nigeria’s ambassador-designate to Mexico, said kidnapping is not a new phenomenon but a decades-old challenge that gained wider attention with the rise of social media.
Omokri, a diehard supporter of the Bola Tinubu administration, stated this in a Facebook post on Thursday as a wave of kidnappings swept across Oyo, Borno, Kwara, Kogi and other states of the country.
On May 15, armed gunmen stormed three schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, abducting 46 people, including 39 students and seven teachers.
While one teacher was killed during the raid, another teacher, Michael Oyedokun, was beheaded in captivity.
Simultaneously in Borno State, militants attacked schools in Mussa, Askira-Uba LGA, abducting at least 42 children, many toddlers aged 2-5, with some used as human shields.
On Wednesday, younger sister of former Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, Mrs Busayo John-Paul and her twin sons, Peter and Paul, were abducted by gunmen on Ring Road, Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
Kidnapping incidents have also been reported in Kogi and Kwara states in recent weeks.
Reacting to the surge in kidnappings, Omokri said it was not a new phenomenon.
The ambassador shared a Daily Times report from 1969 that detailed the abduction of a trader in Abeokuta, capital of present-day Ogun State.
He said, “Tuesday, April 8th 1969. This malaise has been with us for decades.
“Social media has only made it possible to bring it into the immediate spotlight.
“Nevertheless, by the grace of God and the joint efforts of all Nigerians, especially our military and paramilitary forces, Nigeria will defeat banditry and terrorism!”
