Lafia, the Nasarawa State capital, is gripped by fear as kidnapping cases escalate, with criminals adopting new methods that have forced many residents to abandon their homes or shut themselves indoors early in the evening.
Once known for striking only under the cover of night, the kidnappers now stage attacks in the early evening hours, trailing victims as they return from work or targeting them directly at home.
In several incidents, gunmen have fired into houses to scare occupants outside before whisking them away at gunpoint.
The worsening insecurity has triggered silent relocations, with some families moving to neighboring states.
Those who remain rarely stay outdoors beyond 8:00 p.m., while many households have been devastated financially, selling property or borrowing heavily to pay ransoms.
Security patrols have increased, but locals say informants embedded in communities keep kidnappers one step ahead.
Families often avoid reporting cases to authorities after being threatened by the criminals, who are believed to closely monitor victims’ relatives.
Among the latest high-profile victims are the children of Justice Ibrahim Shekarau of Nasarawa State High Court 4, abducted from their home in Lafia’s 500 Housing Estate. Negotiations for their release are ongoing.
Another attack in Nasara Estate, near the Federal University of Lafia, left several residents in captivity, including Mrs. Abiye Amezi, a lecturer at Nasarawa State Polytechnic.
DAILY POST had reported that a similar situation happened in Agyaragu, Obi Local Council, where a pastor’s wife with her three-month-old baby and another church member were kidnapped but later released after ransom payment.
Recall that police say two suspects have been arrested for allegedly issuing abduction threats in Doma and Lafia.
According to command spokesperson SP Ramhan Nansel, the suspects admitted to extorting N7 million from their victims.
Governor Abdullahi Sule has voiced concern that political interference is weakening security efforts, stressing that it undermines investigations and emboldens criminal groups.
The climate of fear has also affected the press, with journalists increasingly reluctant to cover sensitive issues due to fears of becoming targets themselves.
Kidnapping wave forces Nasarawa residents indoors as fear spreads