According to the National Counter-Terrorism Centre (NCTC) under the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), kidnapping for ransom dropped by 16.3 per cent in 2024, compared to the previous year.
The centre’s National Coordinator, Maj.-Gen. Adamu Garba Laka, announced this while giving an update on the Multi-Agency Anti-Kidnap Fusion Cell (MAAKFC) yesterday in Abuja.
The MAAKFC was established at the NCTC last December to bring together different agencies for intelligence sharing and coordination efforts to combat kidnapping across the country.
Laka said while the spate of kidnapping reduced, the number of victims increased by 0.27 per cent in 2024.
The national coordinator named Kaduna, Katsina, and Zamfara as the top states with high kidnap incidents.
He said the successes recorded followed the efforts the Bola Tinubu administration put into anti-kidnap efforts through the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu.
The counter-terrorism boss stressed that kidnapping for ransom still posed a significant security challenge in 2024 with non-state actors, such as bandits, terrorists, cultists, militants, and secessionist groups exploiting the crime for pecuniary gains and funding of illicit activities.
He said: “Despite some improvements, the menace remains a serious threat to national security, socio-economic activities, and food production across the country.”
