By BASHIR ADEFAKA
If the update on the activities of kidnappers in Abia State is anything to go by, Nigeria may not yet heave a sigh of relief.
Last week, an Abian senior university lecturer said the situation was now worse that anybody that came out or sent his ward on errand after six o'clock in the evening in the state did so at his own peril.
The university don anonymously said the situation had degenerated so much so that not a single government official was bold enough to speak on it.
"The situation is that none of the governors of the South-east is bold to speak on the kidnapping menace because of the fear that doing so may be risking kidnap of his relations.
"No one in Umuahia dares to go out after six o 'clock. If you send your child out to go and buy you fuel or whatever after that time, you are doing so at your own peril," he lamented.
At Achalla, Igwe Ezeoba Alex Nwokedi gave reason for the acts of criminality that Igbo youths have perpetrated which, according to him, had for long now threatened the security of the region especially in Abia State. He however singled out his community, Achalla, as about the only community in the region with relative peace and crime free tendency.
"The people kidnap because they are hungry. We in Awka North especially Achalla are the only communities here that are not into any crime. And it is so because we are born farmers, we realised that ab initio and we are taking farming serious. Everybody therefore is busy with his or her farm work and so they have enough food to eat, they are not hungry and therefore have no time for crime such as kidnapping,' he said.
Asked further on why crime is most visible in Abia and some other parts of the South-east, he attributed it to lack of land to farm like his people do. Moreso, the monarch said those people were not grown in farming but in industries and therefore called for governments of the region to invest in building industries to keep the restive youths busy in gainful employment.
"The Abia people like in some other parts of the region had been living on industries just like in Aba and most of those industries have folded up. Until you get these people fully engaged, this kidnapping problem will continue. Rochas Okorocha is a generous governor but you don't eat generosity. What you should do is use the money you are dashing people to establish industries for people to be gainfully employed so the crime will stop,'' Nwokedi said.
"When people are busy doing meaningful things that not only put food on their tables but also guarantee their better future, they won't have the mind to think about committing crime whatsoever."
Aside kidnapping, there are many other things that are said not to be working in the region which has made life persistently miserable for many Igbo people.
This reporter took a drive from Upper Waker at Onitsha through Igbariam junction to Awka and people were baffled that President Jonathan visited Anambra State without taking the pain to go through the road to enable him determine what to do with it.
Another prominent South-easterner, who spoke to Sunday Vanguard, said he was not sure the president got proper advice on the condition of the road. He said contractors working on the road were always on site but that there was no much they could do without being paid by the government to the job more effectively.
Vanguard Nigeria
God help them in that region...kidnapping has become a lucrative business for them in that region.