As I am wont to do, I will try and give my own suggestions and how we as
a people can stop this ugly trend becauses indeed you can or a close one can
be the next victim (God forbid)
Below are itemized suggestions that will drastically reduce kidnappings
QUESTION SUDDEN WEALTH
I think it is time for the police to start investigating suddenly rich
young men and boys. The "he just came from Ghana" cannot be a
justification for wealth after 6 months of leaving. Also having been
here in America, I know for certain you cannot be a millionaire
overnight except you win the lottery. My brother Riete Ofugara and the
Ometies and Hilda Avwenagha have also told me the same thing of London.
Apostle Ovie A. Dafe says same of Italy etc etc.
Thus when young men and women return with fantastic amounts in such
short time, we must also ask how that is.
The police thus must have a department dedicated to suddenly wealthy
individuals. They must be brought in and questioned. The Nigerian
embassies in Ghana, US, Canada, Austria etc must be emailed and
questions asked as to WHAT DOES HE DO?
In other climes, if you deposit as little as ten thousand dollars, the
banks will call the police and you will be questioned. You must show
precisely how you came about the money. In this way, you may succeed in
the crime, but the aftermath and stashing of the money becomes a problem
and a means to fish you out.
The truth is that a lot of our young men in that Sapele axis do not even
go to the Ghana to hustle which now is the perfect cover. They may make
the money from the kidnapping in Nigeria, go to Ghana to chill for a
while and 3-6 months later return to welcoming Nigeria as big boys. I
say we question each and everyone of us as to how we make that wealth as
is done globally. The days of testimonies in church that goes like
"Praise the Lord!!! I was poor but God blessed me. Now I have a house in
Lekki and that Hummer outside is mine. Pra pra praise the Lord..." must
end. The testimonies must be "I was poor, God now blessed my Pure water
business or blessed my Dear MaMa Laundry or gave me a contract with
Eternit to supply cement or gave me a job with Chevron" etc. We must know
the source of the "blessing".
As long as young men who only last 2 months were broke can overnight
drive flashy cars and rent or buy houses, without the society
questioning them, kidnappings, armed robbery, ritual killing etc etc
will not stop no matter the policing.
KEEP CLOSE WATCH ON ADJOINING VILLAGES OF SAPELE, JESSE, OGHARA, UGHELLI
etc.
It is now common knowledge that groups of young men now go to a quiet
village near major towns, furnish apartments and carry out these
nefarious activities.
The government and police must encourage villagers to report all such
“strangers” who come to their villages from nowhere with no job and or
economic interest of farming etc in that village.
REWARD TIPS
policing is helped by tips surreptitiously given to the police. Any
citizen that gives tips that leads to arrest must be rewarded for being
“good citizens”
Campaigns on TV and Radio and on bills must announce monetary rewards to
people who report suspicious activities to the police. By the time
someone is given 100,000 naira for solid information, we would have a
vibrant “para-police” in the denizens.
HOLD COMMUNITY LEADERS AND GARAGE/PARK CHAIRMEN RESPONSIBLE FOR
ACTIVITIES OF THEIR “AGBEROS”
Delta State and indeed every state has their version of the Bob
Izuas…people that the thugs and vagabonds and honestly sometimes merely
unemployed boys look up to and work for. Without mentioning names,
those in the Sapele/Warri Community know the people to whom I refer. The
police must work with these community leaders by asking them to submit a
complete list and also photograph and fingerprint of their followers.
Since these people have access to funds from companies and also since
these boys double as “political egbe wagers” let us know them and so
armed robbers and kidnappers cannot hide amongst them and ascribe
stupendous moneys from ransom to “community money”. The community
leaders must thus ensure that their followers do not indulge in such
activities and must be made to report suspicious behaviour to the police
else face dire consequences.NOBODY IS BIGGER THAN GOVERNMENT. If you
cannot run your ship, we must take it from you and nominate someone who
can run the community and monitor the youths better.
THE INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE TO THE RESCUE
Al Capone was done in by IRS and not the police. The IRS is more feared
than the police in America and elsewhere. If you have large chunks of
money and cars etc, if you cannot explain how you got it and if you do
not pay taxes on the moneys, cars, and properties, you are made to
forfeit (seize) them and you also go to jail.
I do not understand why the government is not doing this.
Drug-dealers and other criminals have to work extra hard, not only in
making the illegal money but also in hiding it. As I am here now, if I
am given a million dollars illegally, you have complicated my life
seriously. I cannot deposit it in any US bank nor can I go to a car
dealership and pay the 50,000 dollars in cash. In four minutes or less, I
will be speaking with a policeman from the back of their vehicle and
explaining how I got the money.
It is why the Suge Nights and Damon Dash etc have to hire accountants
and lawyers and try to hide the money in entertainment and music. Those
who live in the US or who are knowledgeable in these affairs know what I
am talking about.
I see that this administration through the governor of the central bank
is trying to make Nigeria follow in this regard. He must be encouraged
and banks and bankers must realize that if they make this policy fail,
maybe it is their mothers that will be kidnapped next and someone will
be easily able to stash the ransom.
Thus when a young man or woman is unable to explain his source of
wealth, the IRS must seize such monies immediately.
RETURN THE FIRING SQUADS
I do not understand those who are against capital punishment and say
Bible says “thou shalt not kill” when all through the old Testament
where that law was written, JEHOVAH, God of the Hebrews ordered people
to be put to death. The same Bible also said “Live by the sword die by
the sword (sword being the equivalent of a gun back then) Thus it is
those against capital punishment that are going contrary to the Bible.
Since the public killing of Dr. Oyenusi, the notorious armed robber at
Barbeach, a lot of notorious criminals have gone the same way. When the
good Judge Omo Agege sentenced Anini, Osunbor and the conniving
policeman Iyamu to death by firing squad, everyone over 25 years old and
that lived in and around Benin will agree that crime rate plummeted
seriously.
The very England that is attempting to stop capital punishment once hung
the heads of criminals at city entrance and public places. In fact the
judge pronounces that you be “hanged, drawn and quartered” which means
the criminal is hanged and upon dying, his dead body is tied to a horse
and taken round the city, and after everyone has seen it, he is cut into
four pieces (quartered)
today London has the lowest crime rate in the world for such a city.
Their evolution ensured that crime was severely punished and entrenched
this in their DNA.
In our evolution as a country Nigeria, we are skipping eras and classes.
We are attempting to walk without crawling. What is the ratio of police
and cars to the citizens of America and what is the ratio of police and
police cars to citizens in Nigeria? Thus when I hear that schools and
parents in Nigeria are stopping corporal punishment wherein a child is
beaten up severely when he steps out of line so quite early he or she
understands actions and consequences, I shake my head in disgust. We do
not have the American, England forensic, and justice system yet we want
to adopt their ways. HOW FOOLISH.
Some states in the East have had their state legislative houses pass
laws that prescribe capital punishment for kidnappers and armed robbers.
WAY TO GO!!!
I say we bring back the firing squads. I say children from 13 be allowed
to come to the stadium and see kidnappers and thieves and murderers put
to death. I say the Nigerian youth and children need to know crimes
have consequences and dire ones too.
STATE POLICE
The present system of policing in Nigeria just is not working. The
governor of Delta State Emmanuel Uduaghan has been calling for the
prosecution of certain policemen who he said connived with kidnappers in
Delta State.
If indeed by the Constitution of Nigeria, the Governor is the chief
security officer of his state, I say the police be put under him. Let
him pay them and let them answer to him.
In the US, states own their police departments e.g. NYPD (New York
Police Department then the Federal Government has the FBI. When the FBI
is to take over is well spelt out. I say we adopt this because THE
PRESENT FORMAT OF THE POLICE IN NIGERIA IS JUST NOT WORKING.
Finally, I must remind everyone that KIDNAPPING NA SMELLI SMELLI YEYE
HUSTLE.
No be work.
I welcome discussions and arguments for and against my viewpoint and
more importantly further ways and means we can put a stop to this ugly
trend.
No comments:
Post a Comment