From Conventional to Unconventional Mechanism: The Public Dilemma of Kidnapping Business in the South-East and South-South Regions of Nigeria

Abstract Kidnapping activities has become the most recurring organized crime in strategic cities, villages and communities in southeast and south-south Nigeria. It has generated a frenzy-like situation among members of the public. It needs to be known why civil police with its dexterity for conventional mechanisms in crime prevention and control are incapacitated to combat recent spate of kidnapping activities in Nigeria. Some pertinent questions about menace of kidnapping in Nigeria are: Why did conventional approach fail to control kidnapping activities in Nigeria? What control strategies were put in place by the respective state governments in southern states? What is the philosophy behind the adoption of unconventional means? What are the instances of its effectiveness? Is there any backlash with this strategy? With fieldworks in two purposively selected states in the southern regions of Nigeria, the study recommends among others, the creation of a specialized court with the mandate to convict suspects/sponsors of kidnapping business if found guilty within a stipulated timeframe.