The Sanity Multi-Efforts Forum (SMEF) has described kidnapping in Nigeria as a 19-year-old crisis rather than a new security challenge, calling on the Federal Government to adopt a fresh, measurable security doctrine.
In a statement signed by its President, Prince Dan Olaitan Dada, SMEF traced the trend from the 2007 kidnap of Mrs. Eweje, sister to former President Olusegun Obasanjo, through the 2014 Chibok abduction, the 2018 Dapchi schoolgirls’ kidnap, and the 2021 Greenfield University attack, noting that while targets have changed over the years, the method has remained the same.
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The group said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu now has the opportunity to move Nigeria from reactive responses to a coordinated doctrine involving the Federal, State, and Local government tiers, working alongside traditional rulers, communities, and the media to deliver visible results in towns and communities.
SMEF stressed that any new security framework must prioritise human dignity and social welfare, including trauma care, rehabilitation, and economic protection for victims, given the link between poverty and insecurity. It also called for citizens to be treated as security assets through confidential, technology-driven channels for sharing intelligence without fear of victimisation.
The organisation further urged the strengthening of the rule of law and institutional capacity through intelligence-led policing, modern surveillance, swift prosecution, and improved welfare for security personnel.
SMEF affirmed its readiness to collaborate with the Office of the National Security Adviser, the Ministry of Interior, the Police, the DSS, and the NSCDC, pledging support through policy advocacy, welfare programmes for affected families, and civic and legal awareness initiatives.
