A Warning Trend: Kidnapping and Abduction and Its Implications on Food Security and The 2023 Democratic Election In Nigeria

Abstract

Kidnapping and abduction are some of the major forms of organised crimes and global phenomena threatening peaceful co-existence and human dignity in modern society. This explorative research work focuses on the incidence of kidnapping across the six geo-political zones of Nigeria. Secondary data utilized for the study were culled from; audio-visual reports (newspapers and televised news) spanning seven months (from March to October 2022). The study identified the vulnerable groups and kidnapping hot spots across the nation. It also highlighted the pull and push factors of kidnapping in Nigeria. The study further explored the effects of kidnapping on the 2023 democratic election and food security across the nation. It concluded that, if not handled proactively, kidnapping would add to worsen the insecurity situation in the nation which is already being affected by flooding, Herdsmen attacks, and an extreme climate that confronted farmers and the food chain. The paper calls for security beef-up at the local, state, and national levels.