A former Director of the Department of State Services, DSS, Mr Mike Ejiofor, in this interview, gives reasons for the escalation of kidnapping in the country, stating interim and long-term measures the government can embrace.
Ejiofor, who is also a kidnap victim, reveals why payment of ransom is the only available option to victims and their loved ones.
In his words:
“Before I became a victim, I had often said people shouldn’t pay ransom. But that notion changed after I became a victim. He who feels it knows it. Unless you are not involved, you will do everything possible including payment of ransom to release your relative. Of course, government will always discourage people from paying ransom. For me, I believe in the saying that he who fights and runs away lives to fight another day. If you secure yourself, if government cannot secure you, that’s fine.”
“Another option could have been for government to supervise the payment of ransom to get information. But victims do not cooperate with police. For example, when the wife of former Central Bank Governor, Emefiele, was kidnapped, money used for ransom was marked and the suspects were later arrested. But victims’ families are always impatient. You don’t blame them because they want their loved ones safe. If police or government is telling you not to pay ransom, it is expected. But until you are affected, you will know whether to pay ransom or not.”
Peoplesmind
