The Digest:
Bandits have abducted at least 490 people in just 13 days, seizing monarchs, students, worshippers, and even a bride from Sokoto to Abuja. This wave explores the terrifying normalization of mass kidnappings, forcing a nation to experience a profound crisis of security and governance.
Key Points:
- At least 490 people were kidnapped in 13 days across six northern states and Abuja.
- Victims include a traditional ruler in Kwara, 303 students in Niger, and a bride in Sokoto.
- The Senate urgently called for strengthened community-based policing structures.
- A rights group, HURIWA, condemned the attacks as an "affront" to the President's security emergency.
- The Presidency rejected former President Obasanjo's suggestion to seek foreign security intervention.
- Ransom demands have been issued, including N150 million for the abducted Kwara monarch.
- Security analysts warn that the spreading violence underscores a severe operational challenge.
