The death of a retired Nigerian general while in kidnappers' custody has prompted the United Kingdom to call for a coordinated international response to hostage crises. Brigadier General Philip Eronmose, 68, was abducted from his farm in Edo State last week and died on Tuesday from complications related to untreated diabetes, according to local authorities. His body was found in a forest hideout after a ransom payment failed to secure his release.
The tragedy underscores the escalating security crisis in Nigeria's Middle Belt and North West regions, where bandit groups have transformed kidnap for ransom into a multibillion-naira industry. The UK Foreign Office issued a statement urging nations to share intelligence and resources, emphasising that no country can tackle this threat alone. 'The loss of General Eronmose is a grim reminder of the human cost of inaction,' said a Foreign Office spokesperson.
Eronmose served in the Nigerian Army for 35 years before retiring in 2001. He was a veteran of peacekeeping missions in Liberia and Sierra Leone. His kidnapping mirrored a pattern: armed men targeting retired military personnel and wealthy civilians. In 2024 alone, over 1,200 abductions were recorded in Nigeria, with many victims held for months. The UK has pledged technical assistance, including hostage negotiation training and tracking technology.
This incident follows a recent United Nations report warning that kidnap networks are becoming more organised, using encrypted communications and financing through cryptocurrency. The physical reality is stark: each day a hostage remains in captivity increases the probability of death from disease, violence, or exhaustion. For diabetic patients like Eronmose, it becomes a race against time without insulin.
The Nigerian government has not officially commented, but security analysts note that military operations against bandits have intensified, yet porous borders and corruption persist. The UK's call for a coordinated framework echoes recommendations from academic studies showing that successful rescues often hinge on rapid multilateral action.
As the biosphere of human security collapses in these regions, energy must be diverted to systemic solutions. The UK's response is a start, but without breaking the economic drivers of kidnapping, the pattern will repeat. For now, a wider family mourns a man who served his nation in uniform and died in civilian captivity, his final hours measured not by military command but by the mercy of captors who delayed his medical care.
