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#Post#: 289--------------------------------------------------
Lawmakers Dump Official Vehicle Number Plates For Fear Of Kidnap
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By: magbytes120 Date: June 24, 2017, 5:41 am
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Senators, members of the House of Representatives and the state
Houses of Assembly have devised various means to keep safe and
protect themselves in the wake of rising cases of kidnapping of
eminent citizens, including politicians.
Just three weeks ago, a lawmaker from Kano State, Mr. Garba
Umar-Durbunde, was kidnapped by gunmen along the Abuja-Kaduna
Road, after which he reportedly paid N10m ransom to secure his
freedom.
Senator Jonah Jang’s aide was killed by kidnappers last weekend
and it was said that the former Plateau State governor was the
target.
Investigations by Saturday PUNCH showed that one of the
strategies adopted by many federal lawmakers was to lie low to
avoid being identified in public and drawing attention to
themselves.
It was learnt that many senators and House of Representatives’
members no longer use official number plates on their vehicles
in a bid to keep starring eyes in check.
For instance, a member of the House of Representatives, who
spoke on condition of anonymity, disclosed that in the past, it
was prestigious and fashionable for legislators to use their
official number plates but not anymore because of the level of
insecurity in the country.
The member asked, “Look around, how many members do you see
using their number plates with ‘Rep’ boldly written and
displayed?
“Before now, it was fashionable to do so. The number plates
could open the way for you because it identified you as a VIP;
but not anymore because of security concerns.
“These days, people do not want to be identified as lawmakers.
When a member uses the official number plate, you will find out
that it will be covered.
“Covering the plates ordinarily means that they are not riding
in the vehicles, but the truth is that they are there in them.
“Generally, they want to keep a low profile. Some prefer that
they are not noticed at all than for them to be noticed with a
retinue of policemen, which draws attention.”
A senator, who also spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of
being identified as a target by kidnappers, confirmed that some
of his colleagues had also stopped using their official number
plates for security reasons, saying “everyone is being careful
not to draw attention to themselves because kidnapping is on the
increase and you can’t know who is good and who is planning
evil.”
The lawmaker representing Oyo South Senatorial District, Senator
Adesoji Akanbi, told Saturday PUNCH that inasmuch as he was not
keen on going about with his personal security detail, the
rising spate of insecurity in the country, especially
kidnappings of rich and prominent Nigerians for ransom, had
changed his view.
Akanbi said he had stopped going on road trips except when it is
unavoidable, adding that he was also considering getting more
security attachment.
He said, “I believe that it is the duty of the government to
protect lives and properties. Either as a lawmaker or not, the
government owes you that duty. But being a lawmaker exposes you
to such people (criminals) more and I believe that the onus is
on all of us (lawmakers) to take our security seriously.
“Someone like me did not believe in going around with persons
for security but right now, I have to start thinking about it. I
didn’t believe that there was the need to move about with
security detail, the reason being that I am loved in my
constituency and connected with them.
“But it is getting beyond that now and we now have to take our
security seriously. The law enforcement agencies must also
support us lawmakers.”
When asked if he had made adjustments to his movements,
especially on the roads, Akanbi replied, “Of course, road
travels have disappeared on my radar especially now that the
airports are operating. It is now suicidal to go on road trips
unless something urgent happens and there are no flights.”
Also, Senator Danjuma La’ah (Peoples Democratic Party, Kaduna
South), expressed his fears over the spate of robberies and
kidnappings in the country. He specifically identified the
Abuja-Kaduna Road as becoming a national embarrassment.
La’ah, who accused security agencies of failing to protect lives
and properties, therefore, called for the establishment of
vigilante groups.
He said, “Certainly, I am jittery. As a matter of fact, I am not
safe, not to mention the fact that there are other people too.
If I could have security at my own end, all other persons should
have security as well. The security in my constituency is not
enough. The policemen and soldiers (deployed in the area) are
not doing well, I must confess.
“It is a difficult situation and we are trying to find a
solution to it; that is why we are calling for the creation of
vigilante groups. If we continue to rely on policemen and
soldiers; honestly, at the end of the day, somebody will come
and pick us up from our homes, butcher us and kill our families.
The earlier we find a solution to it, the better.”
When asked if he still took the Abuja-Kaduna Road, which leads
to his constituency, but where several armed robbery and
kidnapping incidents had been recorded, La’ah said, “In fact,
Kaduna-Abuja Road is a very terrible road, so much that if the
Federal Government does not live to its expectation (on the
security of its users), it will be a disgrace.”
The senator expressed fear that the security situation might get
to the point where foreign diplomats would be kidnapped and it
would lead to diplomatic rows between Nigeria and foreign
allies.
Another senator from the South-West, who spoke on condition of
anonymity, said she had also limited her movements on Nigerian
roads.
She added that as part of her tactics to reduce her road trips,
she designed her schedule such that she could combine multiple
activities in one trip.
She said, “It is very clear that the government is not capable
or proactive enough to prevent kidnappings. Before relatives of
a kidnapped victim get the ransom to pay and even after payment,
the victim would have suffered. Some people could die in the
process.
“Now, we have to reduce visits; we now have to achieve more
things in one trip so that one is not on the road every time. If
you are on the road, so many things you did not envisage could
happen. So, one has to be very careful.”
Senator Mao Ohuabunwa (PDP, Abia North), said he now put more
emphasis on “where,” “when” and “how” in his movements, adding
that he was being more careful on how he exposed himself to the
public.
Ohuabunwa said, “Definitely, one has to protect himself. One is
now more cautious where one goes, how one moves and at what
time. It is not just about the security apparatus or law
enforcement agents or gun wielding security men; one must also
apply some measures to help oneself. These include reducing road
trips and (public) exposure.”
The lawmaker identified the alleged misconception about the
budget of the National Assembly as one of the reasons why
criminals were after lawmakers.
He said, “Legislators are the most vulnerable (people) because
they have no proper security (model) compared to those in the
executive.
“Also, they are the closest to the people, which makes them very
vulnerable to kidnapping. It is important that we look at this
issue seriously and ensure that adequate security is provided
for the legislature.
“Also, there is this wrong impression about the legislature and
its budget. When people hear about the budget figure, they
simply divide it by 469 (360 members in the House of
Representatives and 109 members in the Senate), believing that a
lawmaker goes about with huge amounts of money. So everybody
wants to get their own bit of the pie directly or indirectly.
Our security calls for serious attention.”
Further investigations by Saturday PUNCH indicated that
lawmakers from the South-East and South-South have also beefed
up security around themselves.
A lawmaker from a state in the South-South, who spoke on
condition of anonymity, said, “There was a time when kidnapping
was an everyday problem..
Continue reading:
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