AN ANALYSIS OF THE MENACE OF KIDNAPPING IN NIGERIA: THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC DISCOURSE

Kidnapping in its modern form in Nigeria has been traced to 2006 when the kidnapping expatriates in the oil producing Niger Delta started, and since then till now, the perpetrators have been modifying their means of operation as it has been manifesting in different forms and spaces. Between 2020 and 2022, the Fulani-Herdsmen/Farmers conflict in Nigeria has heightened and gotten complicated with kidnapping as one of its manifestations. In the Isuikwuato, Abia state, South East of Nigeria, kidnapping has crippled economic and social life in the local government and citizen’s move with fear of the unknown. This study therefore explored the relationship between the Fulani-Herdsmen/Farmers conflict and kidnapping, the impact of economic status on kidnapping and the effect of societal values on the kidnappers’ behavior. Using a descriptive survey, the study employed a multistage sampling method to draw 362 samples from the total population of Isuikwuato LGA. Primary data was collected with the use of questionnaire, and subjected to descriptive analysis using means and standard deviation to describe data around the objectives of study, while the Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) was used in testing the three research hypotheses. The study’s findings show a significant relationship between the Fulani-Herdsmen/Farmers conflict and kidnapping; a significant impact of economic status on kidnapping; and a significant relationship but negative effect of societal values on the kidnappers’ behavior. Therefore the study concludes that crime in general and kidnapping as we see it in Nigeria and Isuikwuato in particular, did not start and will not end with solving the Fulani-Herdsmen/Farmers conflict, but with a wholesome look at the socio-economic situation of the country.