A senior Nigerian military officer has died while held hostage, deepening concerns over a surge in abductions that has left families across the country living in fear. The UK government has called on the Commonwealth to take coordinated action, warning that the crisis threatens regional stability and the safety of ordinary people.
Major General Christopher Musa, a respected commander in the fight against Boko Haram, was taken by armed men three weeks ago outside Abuja. His body was found yesterday in a remote village, bound and bearing signs of torture. The army confirmed his death in a statement, vowing to hunt down those responsible. His family, speaking through a lawyer, described him as a “devoted father who died serving his country.”
For the millions of Nigerians who live under the shadow of kidnapping, this is not an isolated tragedy. The practice has become a booming industry, with gangs targeting everyone from schoolchildren to civil servants. Ransom demands have pushed many into debt or forced them to sell land and livestock. In the north, where poverty is deepest, families often cannot scrape together the money, leaving captives at the mercy of their captors.
British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the UK would “press the Commonwealth to treat kidnapping as a shared emergency” at the next heads of government meeting. He pointed to the economic cost: the kidnap insurance market has grown tenfold in West Africa, and foreign investment is drying up because companies cannot guarantee staff safety. “No country can thrive when its citizens are for sale,” he said.
Yet local voices argue that Western pressure alone will not stop the crisis. Trade union leaders in Lagos and Kano have demanded action on the root causes: youth unemployment, poorly paid police, and a justice system that rarely convicts kidnappers. They note that many abductions are carried out by former soldiers or unemployed graduates who see no other way to survive. “You cannot police your way out of a broken economy,” said Habiba Musa, president of the Nigerian Labour Congress. “The government must pay teachers and nurses properly. It must create jobs. Otherwise, kidnapping will just keep growing.”
The UK’s call for Commonwealth action is welcome, but it will mean little if it does not include real economic support. The bloc’s members must fund job schemes and strengthen police accountability, not just issue statements. For families like the Musas, who have lost a breadwinner and now face funeral costs they cannot afford, the price of inaction is measured in lives.
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has vowed to reform the security forces and expand social programmes. But with elections due next year, many suspect his promises are for show. Meanwhile, the kidnappers grow bolder. Last week, a group of armed men seized 20 children from a school in Katsina, demanding £50,000 for each one. Their parents are now selling their farms.
This is the real cost of the kidnapping crisis: not diplomatic cables in London, but the slow erosion of hope in a country that once dreamed of a better future. The Commonwealth must act now. Not for the generals. For the parents. For the children. For the millions who cannot afford to be bought.
