Some lawyers in Lagos say the rate of unemployment, bad morals and inadequate security contribute significantly to the recurrent cases of kidnapping experienced in the country.
The legal practitioners spoke in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday.
“There is no particular region today in the country that is free from kidnapping.
“The economic reality today is that people are losing their jobs and a lot of people are not even employed.
“The high level of unemployment should give the government serious concern, because if you are idle, you become the devil’s workshop,’’ Mr Monday Ubani, one of the lawyers, said.
He said that unemployed youth could easily be recruited to carry out nefarious activities that were detrimental to the development of the country.
“The government should ensure adequate employment is created to reduce the issue of kidnappers in the country.
“The government should also ensure that the country is well policed with necessary equipment,” Ubani told NAN.
The lawyer, who gave tips on how to avoid being kidnapped, said people needed to be more security conscious of their environment.
“Watch the people you live with in your neighborhood and mind the kind of information you give out to people, because the information could be detrimental to your safety.
“Also, watch how you boast. Know your relations well, because successful kidnapping cannot be complete without an insider,” he said.
Another lawyer, Mr Kayode Ademiluyi, identified bad morals as part of the factors contributing to the rising cases of kidnapping.
“Apart from the economy that is not too good, when children are not brought up with good values, they tend to join bad gangs,” he said.
Ademiluyi called on the government to increase the level of security in the country and urged individuals to be security conscious and alert.
Also speaking on the issue, Mr Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa urged the government to engage the youth and adopt the use of technology to stem the tide of kidnapping in the country.
Mr Kayode Akinsola, another lawyer, urged the police to be more proactive and enjoined everyone to continue to pray for the country’s economy to be back in good shape.
He, however, commended the government for its efforts at fighting kidnapping in the country.
NAN reports that several states, in the face of increased cases of kidnapping, have enacted laws with stiff penalties for kidnappers.
Lagos, one of the latest to do so, imposes penalties that include death for offenders, where a victim dies in the hands of his abductors, and life imprisonment for kidnapping for ransom. (NAN)
HOB/MAS/SOA