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RADIO ADVOCACY AND THE CAMPAIGN AGAINST KIDNAPPING IN RIVERS STATE

ABSTRACT

This study was carried out to investigate radio advocacy and the campaign against kidnapping in Rivers State using selected respondents in Rivers State. To achieve this objective, six research questions and two research hypotheses were formulated to guide this study. The data was collected from both primary and secondary sources. The primary data were collected with the help of a well-structured questionnaire of two sections administered to the selected respondents in Rivers State. The collected data were analyzed tables and descriptive statistics to analyze the research questions while t-test statistical method was used to test research hypotheses. All data were coded using SPSS software. The study reveals that there is a significant impact of radio advocacy on campaign against kidnapping in Rivers State and there is a significant relationship between radio advocacy and campaign against kidnapping in Rivers State. The study concluded with some recommendations that the government in Nigeria should start planning and diversifying in other sectors of the country’s natural resources to generate finances needed to govern the country.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1. BACKGROUND OF STUDY

The concept of radio broadcasting in Nigeria is completely at variance with the idea of kidnapping. Radio broadcasting started as aninitiative of the colonial government in 1932, and for sixty years remained solely in the hands of government. Radio stations disseminatedgovernment messages to the audience and not much more: they carried no messages from the audience to the government and, save forrequest programs and a few other such programs, they carried no messages from one segment of the audience to another. Nigeria inrecently has encountered an unprecedented level of insecurity. This resulted to the threat of national security as a major issue for thegovernment and has prompted large allocation of the country’s budget to security. In order to curb the problems of crime, the Nigeriangovernment has embarked on criminalization of terrorism by issuing the Anti-Terrorism Act in 2011, having the Computer-based ClosedCircuit Television cameras (CCTV) installed in some parts of the country, improvement of surveillance as well as investigation of criminalrelated offences, heightening of physical security measures around the country aimed at deterring or disrupting potential attacks,strengthening of security agencies through the provision of security facilities and the development and broadcast of security tips in massmedia (Azazi, 2011).

Despite these efforts, the level of kidnapping in the country is still on a high scale. Also, Nigeria has effectively rankedlow in the Global Peace Index (GPI, 2012), showing a dead state of insecurity in the country. Hence, Adagba, et al (2012), Uhunmwuanghoand Aluforo (2011) are of the view that the efforts of government have not yielded enough positive result. Apparently, the security conditionin Nigeria seems or at least have proved insurmountable and many people have aimed that government at all levels has not doneanything tangible by not confronting the situation head on and dealing with it decisively, others have argued that the situation has apolitical undertone or inclination calculated to serve the interest of certain political gods, who have been dissatisfied and disgruntled aboutthe political manifestations in the country. Kidnapping has become endemic in the Nigerian society. It is fast becoming a lucrativealternative to armed robbery offence. The magnitude of insecurity is so great that it has practically affected most persons in our country.The current level of kidnapping became terrifying in the Niger Delta region when militants in February 2006 took custody of some oilworkers, apparently to draw global attention to the dire condition in the oil rich Niger Delta region of the country, the victims were mostlyforeigners. Since then the social problem of kidnapping has spread like wild-fire in most parts of the country, especially in the south-easternregion. The focuses are no more on foreigners alone; practically every Nigerian is now a target. On the hind sight, however, it is observedthat the former Governor of Anambra State was kidnapped in July 10, 2003 by his fellow political party members who were in oppositionwith him (Emewu & Anyanwu, 2009). Plausibly, therefore, kidnapping is not really new in the society; but the current tangible ransomdemanding strategy has become a definite social problem for the Government and people of Nigeria. For example, Nigeria was placed sixthon the global kidnap index by an online tourism site in the year 2008. This rating placed the country Nigeria among countries with seriouskidnapping issues, behind Philippines, Venezuela, Columbia, Brazil, and Mexico (Ujumadu, 2008; Ekpe, 2009).

Report of such could serve asan assumption due to lack of exact statistical data. Also Ekpe, (2009) reported that Nigeria recorded 512 cases of kidnapping and 30 deadpersons in kidnappers’ den that year as against 353 cases recorded throughout 2008. Similarly, Kyrian 2009 also reported that the formerInspector General of Police in Nigeria had noted that, kidnappers and hostage takers got 15 million in ransom (about 100 million) between2006 and 2009. Kidnapping cases in southern Nigeria have been ravaging daily incidents. The protection of persons in Nigeria and theirproperties cannot be ascertained. The offence of Kidnapping is punishable by the law in Nigeria. Whoever caught involved in the act is madeto face a penalty of 10 years imprisonment. Apart from the above observation some States like Abia, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Enugu, Imo,Ebonyi, and Rivers have passed into law a bill termed “Prohibition of Hostage Taking and Related Offences Law” with death penalty aspunishment for oenders (Inyang, 2009; Ekpe, 2009). Meanwhile, bills with capital punishment against kidnapping are awaiting subsequentreadings for implementation by the National Assembly.

Unfortunately despite all these stringent laws, no reported case of kidnapping hasbeen successfully prosecuted to serve as deterrent to other potential kidnappers. Nigerians and non Nigerians residing in the country areliving in fear as regards who will be the next victim, since kidnappers spare no one as far as their motives are achieved. Over the last fewyears, the wealthy and the income earners have been picked up by kidnappers who only free their victims after payments of ransom. Oldpeople as well as children between the ages of two and five years have been taken hostage. The cases of kidnapping has stained Nigeria’simage as a nation abroad. It has also hindered Nigeria’s effort to develop a viable tourism industry as visitors are regularly warned by theircountries to be wary of coming to Nigeria. A lot of would-be investors have also deviated for fears of being abducted (Ekpe, 2009). Apartfrom the above evidence which is observable, many more problems which are associated with the problem of kidnapping will be unraveledduring the cause of this research. Consequently, the purpose of this paper is to examine radio advocacy and the campaign againstkidnapping in rivers state.

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