Kidnapping crisis in Nigeria

Protests in Nigeria are happening due to the high cost of living, with people unable to afford food and fuel. Kidnapping has also become a widespread issue in the country, with criminal gangs demanding ransoms as a way to make money. The situation is affecting daily life, with people of all ages and statuses being targeted. Insecurity is prevalent in the country, causing fear and making it difficult for people to go to farms and markets, leading to expensive food prices. Kidnappings have resulted in thousands of deaths. This is a protest in Nigeria against the soaring cost of living. People are furious that they can't afford food and fuel. We are hungry. This hunger is too much. We have a school day. We don't have money to buy a house. This hunger is too much. And it's not like this before. Unfortunately, this has become a familiar story in loads of countries around the globe. Times are tough after all. But on top of that, Nigeria is dealing with another problem, kidnapping, and on a massive scale. It is the latest in a wave of violence in that region that has become known for kidnapping, for ransoms. It's incredible that we've seen two kidnappings in just 24 hours. It's not working. If there is any strategy at all, people are dying in lookouts if nobody cares. Kidnapping has become a huge issue in Nigeria. Criminal gangs, or bandits as they're known locally, demanding a ransom, seeing it at an easy way, or perhaps the only way, to make money. It's been especially bad in the northwest of the country. I'm William Lee Adams, and this is What in the World from the BBC World Service. Today we're looking at how the kidnapping crisis is affecting daily life in Nigeria. Nigeria is dealing with a lot of insecurity inside the country at the moment, overlapping waves of violence from bandits, jihadists, separatists, and others. But when someone pulls you out of a bus, puts a gun to your head, and kidnaps you, their motivation is probably not your biggest concern. Here to take us through the impact of the issue is Chamezie Uchealbo, a journalist with BBC Igbo. Hello. Hi, William. How bad is it in Nigeria right now with kidnapping? It's bad. It's bad. And last year, between July 2022 and June 2033, over 3,000 people were kidnapped. Nigeria, as it is, has the most figures when it comes to kidnapping for ransom globally. So it's bad. It's still more prevalent in the north, but in the east, in the west, in towns, in rural areas, in communities, in markets, in farms, people get kidnapped. We have people being kidnapped, like, almost every single day. And are we talking people of all ages? We're talking people of all ages, all status. It used to be, in the past, people get targeted, the rich get targeted, people that have flashy cars, people that wear flashy things, people that live in the bougie area of town. But these days, people on buses, people traveling, the rich, the middle class, the poor people, even in communities, rural communities, we have kidnapping taking place. What about farms and markets? I've read that this might be a particularly vulnerable place for people. Totally. As it is now, food is so expensive in Nigeria because of two things, climate change and insecurity. People are too scared to go into the farms. Because when they go into the farms, someone is jumping out of the bush somewhere. They get raped, for women, or they get kidnapped. So, people are no longer confident to go to farms. And this has made food super expensive. And we should be clear that, in some instances, people die, or there are figures of death. Oh, absolutely. Absolutely. Over 4,000 people have died to kidnappers.