Senator Ned Nwoko (PDP-Delta) has urged the National Assembly to recommend robust strategies to prevent kidnappings.

Mr Nwoko, representing Delta North, made the call in an interview in Abuja on Sunday.

He said the joint committees of the National Assembly on security agencies should interface with relevant stakeholders and develop novel measures to tackle the menace.

Th senator said kidnapping has increasingly made life difficult for citizens and is affecting the economy, including food security.

Mr Nwoko said this would have far-reaching effects on the country’s prosperity.

He particularly said the kidnappers had gradually made life difficult for residents of the FCT, particularly in the Kuje Area Council.

The senator said that despite the efforts by security agencies, a lot needs to be done in tracking and apprehending the kidnappers.

He also called for enforcement of the 2023 law that criminalised ransom payments to kidnappers.

The lawmaker, whose legislative aide and 18 others were recently abducted in the Galadimawa area of Abuja, said it was important to take appropriate measures to end the menace.

He, therefore, called for a joint operation involving the Army, Air Force, Police, and Department of State Services (DSS) to intensify the search efforts for the captives.

Nwoko also urged the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) to seek funding to install CCTV cameras in strategic locations within and around Abuja, along the highways, and major capital cities to bolster surveillance and deter criminal activities.

“The IGP should also urgently increase security patrols and surveillance within Abuja and across the nation to proactively combat and prevent further kidnappings,” he added. 

(NAN)