Palpable fears in Calabar as kidnappers, carjackers run riot

By Edem ITA

esidents of Calabar metropolis are now sleeping with one eye closed as kidnappers and car thieves continue to terrorise the city unchallenged despite the avalanche of security formations across the state. 

Calabar, the state capital plays host to the headquarters of the Eastern Naval Command of the Nigerian Navy, 13 Brigade of the Nigerian Army as well as the 305 Mobility Group of the Nigerian Air Force. This is in addition to nine Police Divisions scattered around the city buoyed up by an Anti-Kidnapping Squad with a presumed mandate curtailing the incessant cases of kidnappings ravaging the town.

Despite the intimidating presence of these security organizations, kidnappers, car snatchers and other criminal elements have continued to operate seamlessly thereby recking havoc on the residents without any semblance of resistance from security operatives.

Findings by The Beagles News revealed that over ten persons have been kidnapped in Akpabuyo, Bakassi, Calabar South and Municipality within a spate of two months around Calabar with no single arrest made so far at least to serve as a deterrent to others. The latest include the abduction of a consultant of neurology from the UCTH and a senior staff from Department of Family Medicine, one Babra, who was kidnapped around Ikot Efa all around 9:00pm.

Professor (Mrs) Ekanem Philip Ephraim, a doctor of neurology in the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital was kidnapped on Thursday last week around Mountain of Fire Church Road, off Atimbo in Calabar Municipality when four hefty young men stormed out of a Toyota vehicle and headed straight to Ephraim consulting facility.

Her abductors drove into her facility pretending to have a patient inside the car and they demanded to see the professor urgently and when she came out to attend to them, they whisked her way in their car.  According to our source, the increasing spate of kidnapping is either due to the absence of stringent punitive measures for culpable offenders or the reluctance of the government to enforce such existing laws"

In neighbouring states where kidnapping attracts death penalty or life imprisonment, you can see that the cases of kidnapping dwindle significantly because of the serious posture of the government"

Findings by The Beagle News unveiled the new trend adopted by the perpetrators which entails trailing their random targets found in flashy cars to their destination at a close distance. Once the gate is opened for the unsuspecting target to drive in, the predators follow suit at lightning speed, brandishing dangerous weapons to scare away any interference before whisking away their victim.

A police officer from the State Housing Police Division, who preferred anonymity, said a woman in the area narrowly escaped being kidnapped last week in a similar scenario when she was trailed to her home. It took the intervention of her children who released their security dogs to scare away the intruders.

He advised residents of the State Housing Estate to replicate the security measures at Federal Housing Estate by erecting gates mounted by Vigilante Groups to curtail armed robbery and kidnapping. Apart from kidnappings, car thefts are rampant. Over five cars have been stolen around the area alone in the last six months.

According to the officer, this area is naturally quiet and isolated from public glare. The syndicate behind the heinous crime are capitalising on this serenity to commit havoc.

"At the moment, we are on track to recover a gold colour Nissan Pathfinder SUV with registration number: RSH 605 AE. The car was stolen from the home of the owner while he was in church.