Peter Obi Says Nigerians Should Not Accept Kidnapping as Normal

(Peter Obi. Photo by Vanguard News)

Peter Obi, the Nigeria Democratic Congress presidential candidate, has cautioned Nigerians against treating mass abductions and ransom demands as an inevitable part of life.

He made the remarks while reacting to fresh reports of att@cks in Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State where some of those kidn@pped have been k!lled while others remain missing.

Obi recalled raising alarm in August when around 600 Nigerians including women, children and elderly people were reported abducted.

He also cited a separate report that b@ndits had b£aded a Nigerian and sent the severed head to a community leader demanding N50 million.

Borgu: We Must Never Normalise the Killing of Nigerians

The reports emerging from Borgu, Niger State, are becoming increasingly difficult to comprehend and deeply painful to contemplate. On 27 August, I expressed my anguish over the reported abduction of about 600 Nigerians,…

— Peter Obi (@PeterObi) September 16, 2026

If the k!lling was meant to pressure the community into paying more for the remaining captives, Obi said, then Nigeria faces a grim truth: human life has become a tool for negotiation.

He questioned whether the country should continue accepting mass kidn@ppings, ransom payments, criminal levies and forced displacement as normal.

Obi called on the nation to ask itself when such violence would become unacceptable.

He urged intelligence-driven operations, tighter coordination between security agencies, better equipment for forces, stronger border control and relentless action against criminal networks.

He stressed that government's core duty is protecting and serving its citizens.

While politicians focus on elections, Nigerians are demanding something more basic: the freedom to live without fear.

Obi said prayers alone will not solve the crisis action is needed.

No criminal group should hold power over life and d£ath anywhere in the country.