Cult groups fuel hostage-taking, says VP
From Kelechi Okoronkwo (Abuja) Kelvin Ebiri and Rose Ann Chikereuba (Port Harcourt)
THE ranks of those against capital punishment for kidnappers in the country swelled yesterday with the Inspector-General of Police (IG), Mike Okiro and former Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Emeka Anyaoku, lending their voices.
Although Anyaoku and Okiro expressed sadness over the "commercialisation" of hostage-taking in the country, they both submitted that Nigeria should not promote capital punishment as the rest of the world moves away from the practice.
They both spoke yesterday in Abuja at an international summit on "Resolving kidnapping, hostage-taking and local terrorism in Nigeria" organised by the Alex Ekwueme Foundation.
Vice President Goodluck Jonathan, who also spoke at the event, however, lamented that kidnapping had become a money-making venture in the Niger Delta but absolved politicians of complicity in the turn of event in the oil-rich but troubled region.
In a related development, Rivers State Governor, Chibuike Amaechi, a foremost proponent of 'death for kidnappers', has blamed religious leaders for what he called "continuous injustice and deprivation in the Niger Delta," accusing them of not speaking up for the crisis-torn area.
He also accused the clerics of not preaching to politicians to change their bad ways.
The governor spoke yesterday at an event to mark the 20th Catholic Institute of West Africa (CIWA) Theology Week.
Amaechi said religious leaders were the hope of the common man in the task of correcting the ills of society.
His words: "If all clergymen preach to politicians to change their bad behaviours, I believe they will change. But when we applaud their corruption and bad governance, society will be worst for it."
Jonathan argued that militancy in the Niger Delta predated the country's return to democratic rule in 1999 when politicians took charge of the nation, hence the latter should not be blamed for the scourge.
Rather, he said efforts must be made towards uncovering the actual causes of the Niger Delta crisis so as to find lasting solutions to them.
The Vice President stressed that the Federal Government had demonstrated sincerity to solving the region's crisis by setting up the 45-man technical committee on the Niger Delta development whose report's White Paper had been drafted for the consideration of a panel.
Jonathan said as a participant in the 1999 elections in Bayelsa State, he would trace the roots of militancy in the region to the activities of secret societies and cult groups in the communities and higher institutions.
His words: "Nobody can come to Nigeria without wondering, first, how did this thing start? This issue of hostage-taking sometimes looks like when you read Things Fall Apart where it states that the whiteman was very clever, he came quietly and put knife into what held us together and everything has now fallen apart.
"The issue came quietly as if some people were not comfortable with the activities of the multinational oil companies, as if they were protecting the interest of the host communities. Gradually, the issue is taking us to a situation where if care is not taken, we will fall behind our neighbours.
"We must ask ourselves reasonable questions. Where do these people get funds? From where did they get to where they are? Who are responsible?
"Sometimes when I look at the issue, it resembles the biocosmology theory of evolution where they said evolution is like a spark and a sequence of splitting of molecules...
"Some people said the problem was caused by politicians and I said no. I had the privilege of growing up in the Niger Delta ...and I contested the position of Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State, 1998, 1999 and because of my experience, I do not believe that hostage-taking was caused by politicians."
In a paper entitled: "Examining the path to resolving kidnapping, hostage-taking and local terrorism in Nigeria," Okiro disclosed that the police have initiated a Bill seeking stiffer measures against kidnapping and hostage-takers but insisted that capital punishment was not the best idea to check the scourge.
The IG also blamed victims of hostage-taking for their "quick, self-defeatist approach in seeking freedom, which prompts them to pay ransom to kidnappers."
He argued that ransom payment had only exacerbated the menace of kidnapping in Nigeria.
Anyaoku, who chaired the event, stated: "We might consider the approach of Mexico, which created anti-terrorism squad to fight terrorism in the country. We can also tackle the social and political factors that spur these evils of terrorism. A third approach is by combining the use of force to stop the crisis and winning the hearts of the perpetrators of the crisis.
"I believe this is the process, which the government is now adopting by the creation of the Niger Delta Ministry."
A former victim turned hostage negotiator who was held for five years in Beirut, Lebanon, Terry Waite, delivering a paper on "Preferable outcomes to kidnapping and hostage-taking in Nigeria - Lessons from global examples," said militancy was a product of a societal disorder.
His words: "We are dealing with a universal problem here. It is not peculiar with Africa or Uganda but it is a big problem in Nigeria. The reason for hostage-taking in Nigeria is a mixture of political and criminal intents.
"Hostage-taking has three intents - political motivation, criminal gains and pathological intention."
At the event were Minister of Information and Communications, Dora Akunyili; Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria, Chukwuma Soludo, former governors, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha (Bayelsa), Chimaroke Nnamani (Enugu) and Victor Attah (Cross River), among other dignitaries.
Amaechi said if religious leaders used their privileged positions as God's servants in the crusade against corruption and other vices, the society would be better for all.
He challenged them to honour their callings by acting as agents of positive change in Nigeria.
Rector, CIWA, Prof. Felix Adeigbo, described the problems of justice and peace in Africa as political.
According to him, "the issues of change go beyond re-branding Nigeria and the institute is finding out how the church can redeem the world in spite of the obvious difficulties."
