Nigerian governor vows to end kidnapping in northern state

The governor of central north Nigeria's Kaduna has promised to end incessant cases of kidnapping to guarantee the safety of lives and property of the citizens in the state.

The ugly scenario would soon be a thing of the past, Nasir El-Rufa'i, the state governor said at a town hall meeting on Saturday.

He said the state government had noted with concern the spate of kidnapping, especially in Kaduna metropolis.

According to him, the state had recorded significant stride in addressing indices of insecurity, including killings of innocent persons and cattle rustling.

The governor expressed regrets that perpetrators of such acts had resorted to kidnapping of persons.

He said the police recently arrested a kingpin of kidnappers in the state and arms were recovered from the suspects.

Several people in towns and villages have been kidnapped for ransom by criminals in the last three months across the 23 local government areas of the state.

In some of the recent high profile kidnapping cases, a Colonel in the Nigerian Army was reportedly killed by his abductors hours after he was held on March 25.

A former executive director of the state-run oil company Mansur Ahmed regained his freedom after he was abducted recently in Kaduna. Endit