The Nigerian Guild of Editors, NGE, the apex professional body of editors in the country has a strong message for President Muhammadu Buhari: stop the rising wave of kidnapping across the country if you want to attract foreign investments. This was the kernel of the Guild’s  fourth quarter Standing Committee Meeting held in Yola, Adamawa State, at the weekend.

The NGE said the upsurge in kidnapping across Nigeria, which has become a national menace, has negatively impacted on the social and economic life of the country, stressing that the new dimension the vice has assumed was portraying the country negatively in the eye of the global community, “with the potential of scaring foreign investors, at a time their contribution is crucial to revamping the country’s ailing economy”.  It urged Mr. President to arrest the spectre of kidnapping in order to restore investors’ confidence and attract more foreign direct investments to the country.

The Guild noted that attracting foreign direct investment is a critical factor in reflating the nation’s sagging economy, adding that this will be gravely frustrated by the rising tide of kidnapping as no investor would stake his or her investment in an insecure environment.

While citing the abduction of the wife of the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Margaret Emefiele, former Minister, Bagudu Hirse, a senior official of the NNPC, Reverend Father John Adeyi, some students and teachers in Lagos State, a female journalist working in Benue State, Iyuadoo Tor-Agbidye, among other abductions that have taken place, the Guild noted that kidnapping has unfortunately become almost a daily occurrence.

In the light of these occurrences, the Guild urged the Federal Government to, as a matter of urgency, rejig its security apparatchik and develop a pro-active security strategy that will checkmate the menace. It also urged the government to urgently evolve anti-kidnapping measures and legislations, in order to combat the current wave of crimes and criminality in Nigeria.

The Guild commended the initiatives of some State governments in setting up special squads with proven records of trailing, tracking and arresting kidnappers and urged other States to take a cue from these success stories.

The editors recommended the strengthening of the justice system to engender speedy prosecution of kidnap suspects to serve as a deterrent to other criminally-minded persons.

In the same vein, the Guild urged security agencies to be alive to their responsibility of providing adequate security to the citizens by weeding out from among them the bad elements who have the propensity to aid and abet criminals.

The editors counseled that it will serve the government well to do the needful in arresting the rising wave of crimes and criminality, so as to ease the current pressures on the citizens and put the nation back on the path of peace.

The Guild thanked the government and people of Adamawa State for hosting its fourth quarterly meeting.