To wake up every morning not knowing the fate of loved ones is enough mental torture for even the strongest of humans. This was the plight of Muhammad Bashir who continued to await positive news about family members who were abducted on August 8, 2024.

Bashir, who is the Kogi State Correspondent of the New Telegraph newspapers, knew his wife, two daughters and eight other family members were Kaduna bound from Abuja but instead of news of journey mercies, what he got was the shocker that all had been abducted by gunmen in Kaduna. Negotiations began. His wife and one of the daughters were set free but the others remained in captivity.

The poor man sold all his earthly possessions, borrowed money from friends and continued to wander from one door to the other in Lokoja looking for funds to bring back the abducted. With more money delivered, they all finally regained their freedom.

This is one experience that should not be anyone’s lot. To pay ransom for one family member is a step closer to bankruptcy. Doing that to secure the release of 11 persons is like a journey to the unknown. This is too huge a burden to bear.

The security forces have more work to do here. The National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu should continue to swing into action the way he secured the release of the 20 medical students who were abducted around Otukpo, Benue State on August 16.

The students, drawn from the universities of Maiduguri and Jos, were on their way to Enugu for a convention. Due to the intervention of the NSA, freedom was regained after seven days which were spent in Ntunkon forest.

The rescue operation involved the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Police. Bashir’s family members were held for nearly a month; he has spent all his savings, continues to beg friends and colleagues for assistance and keeps praying for even enemies not to suffer similar fate.

Kaduna is becoming too hot for journalists. On July 7, Abdulgafar Alabalewe, of the Nation Newspapers and three members of his family were taken from their Danhonu abode in Chikun Local Government Area. They only regained their freedom after paying ransom.

Kaduna is under siege and this is quite disturbing, for the state hosts the largest concentration of military facilities in the country

That same night, Abdul Raheem Aodu of Blueprint Newspapers suffered the same fate with his wife. She was later released on health grounds. Some read political meanings into their abduction. Alabalewe’s office is powered by the President. A minister is behind the Blueprint.

However, there is nothing to suggest that those who kidnapped the journalists were influenced by politics. Kaduna is under siege and this is quite disturbing, for the state hosts the largest concentration of military facilities in the country. The Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Chris Musa, hails from the Zango Kataf Local Government Area of the state.

The headquarters of 1 Division of the Nigeria Army is in Kaduna, just like the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) and the Nigerian Navy School of Armament.

The Army School of Artillery is in Kachia. There is the Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji. The presence of these key military bases has not deterred gunmen.

In one instance, they were bold enough to penetrate the country’s elite military institution, kill officers and disappear with one another. The Kaduna Airport has also been attacked in the past.

The country is threatened by security challenges. There are reports that nearly N1.5 billion was paid as ransom to abductors in one year. Those operations left 1,056 persons dead in 1,130 incidents where 7,568 persons were kidnapped. These statistics are known to Bashir, a law abiding citizen who has been reduced to an emotional wreck.

It is painful that the government was unable to rescue members of his family who remained in captivity until ransom was paid. Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State has had more than enough to contend with. Students have been kidnapped. Places of religious worship are targeted and villages ransacked. No place is spared, from Birnin Gwari to Kafanchan and Kajuru, danger lurks.

Government must not shy away from the responsibility of guaranteeing internal security and the safety of citizens. Bashir knew that his daughters and other family members were not in the Niger Republic. They were within. Unfortunately, the wait to receive good news of their release took too long. Today, he is glad they are back in one piece. The man is also undauntedly traumatized.