Amid the deterioration of security in Nigeria and ubiquitous reports of kidnapping, the Vatican has become “extremely concerned” about the wanton abduction of people.

The head of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis, stressed that Africa’s most populous nation is grappling with “increasingly frequent kidnappings.”

The pope aired his angst on Sunday evening via the microblogging site X.

“The increasingly frequent kidnappings in Nigeria are extremely concerning.

“I express my closeness in prayer to the Nigerian people, hoping that efforts will be made to contain the spread of these incidents as much as possible,” the pope stated.

In January, Amnesty International lamented the spate of kidnap for ransom in Nigeria, saying it is now part of daily life and citizens are living on a knife edge.

“Rampant kidnapping by armed groups has become a part of daily life in #Nigeria,” said Amnesty International. “People in Nigeria are living on a knife edge. Widespread insecurity and chaos have been exacerbated by routine kidnapping, as armed groups tighten their stranglehold on the country.” 

The human rights organisation added, “The number of Nigerians in custody of armed groups and kidnappers is unknown. But the victim usually suffers shocking abuses. Several abducted women and girls, including school children, have been viciously raped while in captivity.

“Those kidnapped by armed groups are routinely tortured. Many are beaten, starved, threatened with death, raped, held blindfolded for several days, verbally and physically assaulted.”

However, the police claimed that recent kidnappings and killings were not a common occurrence.

“We have cases that are isolated, but when you read them on social media, you would think it is not what we have on social media.

“So we don’t have that incident of kidnapping on the rise in Ekiti or anywhere in the southwestern part of the country,” said Muyiwa Adejobi, the Nigeria Police Force spokesperson.