Causes of Kidnapping in Nigeria and Proposed Solutions

Nigeria is a complex society with a rapid growing population of roughly 200 million people. The country has around 500 different languages and 250 distinct ethnic groups. Thus, uniting these complex groups into one unified political entity since the amalgamation of the country in 1914 proved difficult. Comparatively, Nigeria is one of the secured and peaceful nations in the West African sub-region; however, contemporarily, this endowed nation suddenly plunged into waves of kidnapping and other heinous crimes such as armed robbery and banditry. The phenomenon has escalated and led to numerous lives lost, which also crippled socio-economic activities. Generally, as enshrined in chapter 2, section 14(2b) of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria, the security of lives and property is one of the primary responsibility of the state. This study aims to identify the causes of kidnapping in Nigeria and offer some strategic solution to the problem. The study adopted a Qualitative method and also adopt both Marxian and strain theories of crime. The study`s findings through descriptive and historical method shows that abject poverty, corruption and fraud, political influence, joblessness, terrorism, lack of capital punishment by the government, the changing value system and quick-money syndrome are the major causes of kidnapping in Nigeria. Finally, the study went further to profound remedies that will stop the ugly menace of kidnapping in Nigeria, such as job creation, New policy adaptation and implementation, public awareness and empowerment programs, Sim cards registrations, quitting ransom payment, re-modified community policing and stoppage of small and light arms proliferation in the country. Considerably, by adopting such measures, we hope that the menace will perish in Nigeria for a better and productive society.