Revealed: Inside South East Nigeria’s Unending Cycle Of Kidnap, Revenge, Ruin

The South East of Nigeria, a region celebrated for its vibrant culture and abundant natural resources, is grappling with a suffocating security crisis. Beneath the harrowing headlines of escalating violence lies a tangled web of kidnappings, politically motivated assassinations, and the terrifying rise of armed groups....Read Full Article >>➤

This is not just a story of banditry— it is a narrative woven from political grievances, economic inequalities, and the devastating impact of unchecked power. ROLAND OGBONNAYA delves into the growing unrest, uncovering the motivations behind the violence, the heartbreaking toll on communities, and the urgent search for lasting peace.

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 Anambra State’s Ihiala area on December 26, 2024, was 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.

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 his mother around 9 p.m. and informed her that he was on his way home.

“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 the ransom payments, the gang beat the victim to death and dumped his body along Queens/Kings Bakery on Abuloma Road.

One of the heartbreaking killings oc­curred during the holiday season in Ihi­ala, Anambra State. The community will never forget how their illustrious sons and kinsman, 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 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, “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 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 to track down the kidnappers and rescue the victim.

“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 kidnappings and violent crimes daily will feel the same way.

“No leader who cares about his people will attack anyone who offers constructive criticism.”

In what appeared to be a response to public outcry and calls, Governor Soludo formed an anti-kidnapping squad last week and, according to reports, it 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.

The rise in kidnappings and killings in South East 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.

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.

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.

“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.

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.

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 agen­da, personal vendettas, or pure criminality.

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.

Okafor, Sat, and Hon. George believe that insecurity and vi­olence in the South East 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.

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 crimes, particularly mindless killings and kidnapping. He em­phasised the importance of understand­ing that poverty and crime frequently occur together.

“The people of the South East also 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. 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 land grab­bing strategy of the Fulani Herdsmen Militia. This has resulted in very violent reprisals not only in the South East but throughout Nigeria over the last decade,” Hon. George stated.

Addressing insecurity in South East Nigeria requires a multifaceted approach. 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. ...Read Full Article >>➤