The National Secretariat of Sanity Multi-Efforts Forum, SMEF, Lokoja, Kogi State, has released a policy position following public discourse and recent happenstance on the conduct of spouses during alleged kidnap incidents.
Speaking with reporters at a media briefing in the SMEF office, Lokoja, the Convener of SMEF, Prince Dan Olaitan Dada, clarified that the organization is addressing a systemic national challenge, not any unverified personal case, as such pattern poses risk to civic order and collective trust.
Prince Dada declared:
“SMEF is constitutionally bound to uphold sanity, transparency, accountability, and civic responsibility. Our mandate is clear: defend public resources, protect confidence in public institutions, support security agencies against crime, and uphold the principle that no citizen is above the law.
On kidnap, the legal position is unambiguous. The Terrorism Prevention Act criminalizes ransom payment because it sustains criminal networks. Any Nigerian who reports to law enforcement rather than deal with kidnappers is acting in defense of national security. SMEF recognizes and applauds that.
However, legality does not absolve morality. Family remains the bedrock of civic order. Where a spouse endures trauma from alleged kidnap, the duty of care is non-negotiable. It requires empathy, access to medical and psychological support, and full cooperation with investigators. To reject a fellow citizen in that state is to erode the moral foundation of our society. SMEF condemns any action that reduces human dignity to expendability.
We reiterate our creed: Let truth lead, whoever is clean will stand. In the absence of police reports and judicial records, public condemnation is mere speculation. Citizens must resist the temptation to deliver verdicts based on provocative media headlines.”
SMEF THEREFORE CALLS FOR:
1. Mandatory reporting of all kidnap cases to security agencies. No citizen should finance crime through ransom.
2. Families and communities to provide care, counseling, and social reintegration for victims. That is the essence of civic sanity.
3. The National Orientation Agency and government to launch robust sensitization on spousal responsibility and the harm of stigmatizing survivors.
4. Media houses to uphold fact-checking standards before publication. SMEF will publicly identify and seek prosecution of any individual or group found staging kidnap or circulating falsehoods that drain security resources.
Conclusion:
“SMEF is appalled by any conduct that trades human dignity for financial gain, political advantage, or personal convenience. Kidnap is an assault on the Nigerian state. Our collective response to survivors after rescue is the true measure of our national sanity. We will continue to mobilize citizens and collaborate with relevant institutions until justice and civic discipline prevail,” Prince Dada affirmed.
SMEF is an independent civic advocacy organization duly registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission, CAC. Core Mandate: sanity, transparency, accountability, civic responsibility, and lawful conduct.
SMEF is for you and me. Nigeria deserves better.
