KIDNAPPING

Crime remains a universal socio-political reality shaped by societal norms, moral values, and legal frameworks. Scholarly perspectives commonly emphasize crime as human conduct deemed harmful to the public and subject to state sanctions. Historically, criminality in Nigeria evolved from individual and group offences in pre-colonial societies to complex contemporary crimes driven by political, economic, and social dynamics. In recent decades, kidnapping has emerged as one of the most pervasive criminal activities, escalating nationwide despite technological advances and state interventions. Edo State, particularly Edo North Senatorial District, has witnessed a disturbing rise in kidnapping, resulting in insecurity, economic losses, and increased psychological distress. Despite government measures, including demolition of criminal hideouts and intensified policing, the menace persists. This study investigates the drivers of kidnapping, the effectiveness of existing counter-measures, and the challenges faced by law enforcement agencies, with a view to informing evidence-based policy responses. Current literature were reviewed. Routine Activity Theory (RAT) and Social Disorganization Theory (SDT). This study adopts a mixed-methods design, combining quantitative surveys and qualitative interviews to investigate the surge in kidnapping in Edo North Senatorial District. A sample of 513 law enforcement and vigilante personnel was selected through multistage sampling. Data collection utilized structured questionnaires and interview schedules, with analysis involving descriptive statistics and thematic content analysis to examine causes, challenges, and potential solutions. Findings show that poverty, unemployment, and economic deprivation significantly contribute to youth involvement in kidnapping, while weak governance, corruption, and inadequate law enforcement capacity further enable criminal activities. Public perceptions of government strategies indicate mixed effectiveness, with respondents emphasizing the need for intelligence- driven policing, i proved operational capacity, and stronger community engagement. Structural constraints (including limited resources, inadequate logistics, and low personnel motivation) undermine the effectiveness of law enforcement agencies. Despite the presence of community-based initiatives such as vigilante groups and neighbourhood watch systems, their impact is constrained by poor coordination and communication gaps. The study concludes that reducing kidnapping requires an integrated, multi-sectoral approach combining robust policing, technological enhancement, strengthened institutional accountability, community collaboration, and socio- economic empowerment. Key recommendations include equipping security agencies, fostering community–police dialogue, expanding youth empowerment programs, enforcing anti-corruption measures, and improving police infrastructure for timely response and sustainable security

The study seeks to the influence of kidnapping for ransom in Delta State: Implications for security and development. The objective of the study was to examine the dynamic nature, level of awareness and knowledge of kidnapping among the people of Delta State, to investigate the causes of kidnapping and ransom among the people of Delta State, to survey the social effects of kidnapping on the people and community development in Delta State, to examine kidnapping for ransom effects on the economic life and development of community members in Delta State and finally, to investigate the challenging effects of kidnapping on the mental and psychological wellbeing of the people in Delta State. In order to achieve the objectives of this study, five research questions and hypotheses were raised and formulated, answered and tested respectively. The study adopted a survey research design. The population of study of this research is made up of the total number of people residing in Delta State while the target population of the study is the residence of Ughelli North Local Government which is 320,687. The sample size of this study is 500 respondents. The instrument used for the collection of data was the questionnaire which was administered to a total number of 500 respondents and 456 was retrieved. To ensure content validity of the research instrument, the questionnaire was submitted to the research supervisor and other expert in the Department of Political Science. Their corrections, criticisms, clarifications, suggestions and scrutiny serve as the final bases in drafting the final research
instrument. Again, in order to ensure reliability of the research instrument, it was subjected to test-retest reliability test. Data was analyzed using simple percentage and Pearson Product Correlation Coefficient. The study establishes that despite the kidnapping awareness among the people, kidnapping for ransom is still rampant in the area. The study recommendation that the government should provide employment opportunity for the teeming youths of the area to abate the incidence of kidnapping in Delta State.