Tinubu asked to declare kidnappers as terrorists

President Bola Tinubu has been called upon to declare kidnappers operating across the country, particularly in the South-East, as terrorists.

Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), which made the call on Monday, also urged the National Assembly to come up with relevant law that will prescribe the severest punishment of death by hanging for terrorists.

The rights group, hinged its call on emerging statistical data that shows that  at least 257 people were kidnapped in Nigeria’s Southeast between July 2024 and June 2025.

HURIWA said the new security report by SBM Intelligence, is a compelling reason for the President and the National Assembly to categorically amend the counter-terrorism Act to classify kidnappers as terrorists.

In a statement signed by its coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, the group expressed disappointment and consternation that the relevant civil authorities such as the president, the governors and the National Assembly members have failed to appreciate the enormity of the dastardly crimes of armed kidnappings for ransom payments.

“We hope the government is not waiting for one of the governors or a very prominent national legislator to be abducted by kidnappers before swift, comprehensive and effective steps are taken to combat kidnappings,” HURIWA said.

The group expressed serious concerns on the high rate of kidnappings in the South-East as revealed by the study, which represents 5.6 per cent of the national total of 4,722 abductions documented within the period.

The report by SBM Intelligence, titled “Locust Business – The Economics of Nigeria’s Kidnap Industry: A 2025 Update”, ranked Enugu as the state with the highest record of kidnapped persons, with 123 in total.

Anambra followed with 63 kidnapped cases; 42 in Imo, 2 in Ebonyi and 27 in Abia State within the period in view.

The report further stated that kidnappers in the Southeast demanded N1.005bn in ransom but only received N157.55m.

This accounted for 6.1 per cent of the N2.56bn collected nationwide.

While the North West remained the epicentre of abductions, the SBM said that the Southeast faced a different trend.

According to the report, “The Southeast and South-South face targeted religious abductions and financial extortion”, with clergy and professionals among the most affected. HURIWA further highlighted the shocking report by the International Society For Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (InterSociety) that 19,100 Churches in Nigeria in the last 16 years have been destroyed by terrorists just as HURIWA said there is a nexus between terrorism and kidnappings going by the abductions and killings of Christian clerics by terrorists as indicated in the aforementioned report.

HURIWA which condemned the abduction of Reverend. Fr. Wilfred Ezemba of St Paul Parish, Agaliga-Efabo in Olamaboro Local Government of Kogi State by kidnappers, noted that the President as the head of the executive arm if government at the centre and the governors who head the executive branch of government at the sub-national together with the legislators at the National Assembly must now step up the strategy against kidnappings which have become cancerous across the nation and to overhaul the legislative and enforcement mechanisms to combat kidnappings in a record time.

While expressing sadness  that terrorists who disguise as kidnappers are terrorising South-East of Nigeria, HURIWA said a prominent governor from the region, who is not doing enough to address the security woes, spends incredible amount of time in Abuja during which he goes alongside few other governors to the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja to either welcome or wave goodbye at the President Bola Tinubu while embarking or returning from his regular trips abroad.

“We appeal to the Governors of South-East states and all elected, appointed political office holders, the leaders of the organised private sector in the South-East of Nigeria, civil society leaders, traditional and religious leaders in the South-East of Nigeria to convoke emergency meeting during which time the issue of the unprecedented insecurity in the South-East states are tabled and solutions suggested including collectively calling on the president to declare kidnappers as terrorists and the proposed immediate amendment to the counter terror law of Nigeria to reflect the changes just as kidnappings should be made a capital offences and governors must be willing to sign execution warrants in record time to eradicate kidnappers from the face of Nigeria as soon as practicable,”  HURIWA said.