The Political Economy of Kidnapping and Insecurity in Nigeria: Beyond News and Rumours

Providing unique perspectives on one of the leading hotspots of kidnapping in the world, this book examines the political and socioeconomic dimensions of the causes, manifestations, and consequences of kidnapping in Nigeria, as well as some of the control measures that have been adopted at different levels of governance and their effectiveness.

The topics covered in the volume include details on the framework of understanding kidnapping, the evolution of kidnapping from pre-colonial to post-colonial eras, and the relationship between ungoverned spaces and kidnapping in the country. The book further sheds light on kidnapping in the context of insurgent campaigns, with insights into oil-related militancy in the Niger Delta region, with the Islamist Boko Haram insurgency and terrorism in the Northern region of Nigeria. It discusses non-insurgent kidnapping, situating kidnapping in the contexts of banditry, ransoming, ritualism, baby factory, and human trafficking. Additionally,the volume analyses the emerging gender and transnational frontiers of kidnapping in Nigeria. Expanding the discussion on state responses, this book also looks into responses of non-state actors to kidnapping as well as negotiations in hostage crisis management. Finally, it examines other unique subjects, such as media coverage of kidnapping, and the consequences for Nigeria’s international image.

The book will appeal to students, scholars, and researchers of political science, international relations, economics, sociology, history, law and business management in general, as well as African studies, security studies, criminology, peace and conflict studies, and geography and area studies. It will also be helpful for public policy-makers, African security experts and professionals, as well as business managers, risk analysists and insurance industry that are interested in a better understanding of kidnapping and associated political, social, economic, and security dynamicsin Nigeria and beyond.

J. Shola Omotola, PhD, is a Professor of Political Science at the Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE), Nigeria. He is the holder of the 2023 Claude Ake Visiting Chair in the Department of Peace and Conflict Research (DPCR) and the Nordic Africa Institute (NAI), Uppsala University, Sweden. His research interests are in Comparative and African democratisation studies, oil and environmental politics in the Niger Delta, security and post-conflict peacebuilding, and development studies. His publications have appeared in many journals such as African Affairs, African Security Review, African Review, Africa Today, Afrrica Insight, African Sociological Review, African and Asian Studies, Commonwealth and Comparative Politics, Defense & Security Analysis, Journal of Asian and African Studies, Journal of African Elections, GeoJournal, Representation, South African Journal of International Affairs, Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, Strategic Analysis, and Taiwan Journal of Democracy, among others. Prominent among his co/authored and co-edited books are the Nigeria’s 2015 Elections: Continuity and Change in Electoral Democracy (Palgrave Macmillan, UK, 2017); The State in Contemporary Nigeria: Issues, Perspectives and Challenges (John Archers Publishers, Ibadan, 2015); Horror in Paradise: Frameworks for Understanding the Crises of the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria (Carolina Academic Press, USA, 2014); The Legislature and Governance in Nigeria (John Archers Publishers, Ibadan, 2014).

Samuel Oyewole, PhD, is a lecturer at the Department of Political Science, Federal University Oye-Ekiti, Nigeria, and a post-doctoral research fellow at the African Centre for the Study of the United States, University of Pretoria, South Africa. His research interests cover African affairs, crisis management, development and security studies, and international relations. His articles have appeared in many journals, including Astropolitics, Australian Journal of Maritime and Ocean Affairs, African Security, African Security Review, African Conflict and Peacebuilding Review, Defense & Security Analysis, Defence Studies, Democracy and Security, Geojournal, Journal of Asian and African Studies, New Zealand International Review, Politikon, RUSI journal, South African Journal of International Affairs, Strategic Analysis, and Studies in Conflict & Terrorism. He co-edited Power Politics in Africa: Nigeria and South Africa in Comparative Perspective (Cambridge Scholar Publishing, 2020); Boko Haram’s Campaign of Terror in Nigeria: Context, Dimensions and Emerging Trajectories (Routledge, 2021); Armed Banditry in Nigeria: Evolution, Dynamics and Trajectories (Palgrave Macmillan, 2024). His forthcoming book is titled Utilitarianism in Outer Space: Space Policy, Socioeconomic Development and Security Strategies in Nigeria and South Africa.