The Human Rights Writers’ Association of Nigeria has urged the Nigerian intelligence community and the Armed Forces of Nigeria to adopt intelligence-led strategies similar to those used by the military in Borno State to intercept kidnappers before they negotiate and collect ransoms from victims’ families.
HURIWA said it was optimistic that if the nation’s intelligence agencies and the armed forces collectively replicate the intelligence-led operations of Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK), the Military Joint Task Force handling counter-terrorism in the North-East, kidnappers and terrorists would be prevented from freely negotiating and collecting huge ransoms, except where saboteurs exist within the security services.
“We in HURIWA are hereby calling on the Minister of Defence General Christopher Gwabin Musa, Chief of Defence Staff, the National Security Adviser, Army Chiefs, Air Force Chief of Staff and Naval Chief of Staff of Nigeria, to set up a joint committee to fish out saboteurs and criminal elements embedded in the armed forces who are using their privileged positions to aid and abet terrorism, kidnappings and other sophisticated crimes that have substantially gone undetected for years.
The defence minister must take the job of fishing out saboteurs as a fundamental task if Nigeria ever hopes to defeat terrorists and their affiliates who are kidnapping Citizens for ransom just as most of these kidnappers are engaging in human organs trafficking.”
“What then are the functions and powers of Military Police? What are the functions of Nigerian Intelligence organisations in Nigeria including the Department of State Services and why are the communication and telephone conversations of terrorists and kidnappers not been effectively flagged down, monitored and the suspected terrorists arrested and prosecuted for their crimes against humanity?
The honourable minister of Defence who incidentally was the immediate past Defence chief of Nigeria, should prioritise the fishing out of public enemies who are working within the military set ups to actively undermine the war on terror and the counter-kidnapping activities of the armed security forces of Nigeria.”
The rights group recalled that findings by OPHK in the North-East showed that Shariff Umar was responsible for recruiting, preparing, directing and dispatching suicide bombers, as well as coordinating logistics and delivery of Improvised Explosive Device (IED) components.
According to HURIWA, the Media Information Officer of the Joint Task Force, Lt Col Sani Uba, disclosed in a statement that confessions by 14 suspects arrested during intelligence-led cordon-and-search operations revealed Umar as the coordinator of recent suicide bombings.
Uba said the operations were carried out at the Kalmari area of Maiduguri on December 31, 2025.
“Subsequent detailed identification and investigative processes established the structure, roles, and operational linkages of the terror cell.
“During the investigation, a suspected suicide bomber currently in custody, Ibrahim Muhammad, unequivocally identified Shariff Umar (also known as ‘Yusuf’) as the ringleader and coordinator of the terror network.”
HURIWA challenged the leadership of the Armed Forces of Nigeria to look inward and identify serving officers allegedly patronising kidnappers and terrorists, whom it said were undermining efforts to curb terrorism and ransom-driven abductions across the country.
The group expressed concern that despite billions of naira allocated annually to the armed forces and intelligence agencies, kidnappers and terrorists continue to operate freely, citing the abduction of the Oniwo of Aafin, Oba Simeon Olaonipekun, his son Olaolu, and other villagers in Kwara State, for whom a ransom of N450 million was reportedly demanded.
HURIWA described the inability of security agencies to track kidnappers who openly use communication devices as a serious sabotage of Nigeria’s national security interests, especially given the large investments made in crime-fighting technology in recent years.
It also questioned the National Assembly’s oversight role, asking why accountability had not been demanded from security agencies.
Addressing kidnappings in Kwara State, HURIWA recalled reports that a palace source disclosed the ransom demand to the media, while other sources confirmed that N150 million was demanded for the monarch and his son, a serving member of the National Youth Service Corps.
According to the group, an additional N300 million ransom was demanded for the release of eight other residents abducted in Adanla-Irese, a suburb of Igbaja in Ifelodun Local Government Area.
The Coordinator of the Kwara South Joint Community Security Watch Network, Elder Olaitan Oyin-Zubair, was quoted as confirming that negotiations had commenced.
“Only two days ago, the kidnappers demanded N300 million for the release of the Adanla abductees. Today, they demanded N150 million for the monarch and his son,” he said.
HURIWA recalled that the monarch was abducted on Wednesday night when gunmen reportedly stormed his palace in Aafin community, Ile-Ire district of Ifelodun LGA, at about 8 pm.
The group also referred to a widely reported trafficking case in Mali involving a Nigerian minor, noting that Malian security forces intercepted and arrested the suspects within hours using intelligence monitoring tools.
Quoting anti-human trafficking activist P. Michael, HURIWA said: “Why do kidnappers succeed in collecting ransom from their victims? Based on my job, I learnt something special this week from Security Agents in Mali that we went on a rescue mission together.
I don’t know if the Nigerian Security Agencies are in collaboration with kidnappers to take ransom and share together, if not no kidnapper can succeed in taking any ransom where security formation is effective.
The story is that, I received a message from Nigeria concerning a 16 year old girl that was trafficked to Mali for sex trade. This victim called her parents about the situation and they passed the message to me from government agency for an urgent rescue.
When I called the number that the victim used to call her parents and I asked the traffickers to send the victim to me so that she can go back to Nigeria, they refused. Later they remove the line from their phone, now the number is out of use.
I now informed a security agent about the situation because what is important is to rescue the 16 years old girl from sexual exploitation.
Now, the number I used to contact the traffickers is no more in use. I don’t know the name of the village the victim is. I sent the number that they have removed and brake to the security agent.
After two hours, they notify me the name of the village and the current new number the traffickers are using. We went on a mission without calling the new number.
We arrived at the village in the midnight because it was about 15 hours journey. The second day, Information reach us the exact location the phone number was last used before they switched off the phone.
After an hour, information came again that the person is having appointment with somebody by 11:00am.
We hang around the place. When the person came around, there was a vibration from one of their security gadget to know the person coming with the number.
We monitor her entry to the house. We were able to rescue the victim on 20/12/22. No call. Nothing.
So ransom collection in Nigeria could be between the kidnappers and security agencies. If not, no Nigerian should pay ransom to any kidnapper if really our policemen have the necessary security gadgets,” he concluded.
HURIWA therefore called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to issue a three-month ultimatum to the service chiefs to significantly reduce kidnapping incidents and ransom collections to at least 25 per cent of current levels or face dismissal from office.
