By Naseer Al-sirajdeen, Minna
Justice Halima Ibrahim Abdulmalik, Chief Judge of Niger State, has raised alarm over the involvement of teenagers in kidnapping and banditry activities in the state.
The Chief Judge who was speaking at the end of her working visit to the Minna old Correctional Custody Tuesday, described the increasing oroportion of the teenagers in bandtry activities as worrisome.
Justice Halima Ibrahim, described the trends as disturbing, and called on the security agencies to step up efforts in curtailing the ugly trends.
” You people are making travelers on the highways to be in fear. You keep on terrorising innocent travelers and residents instilling fear into people” she told the teenagers at the Minna old Correctional Custody during her working visit to the centre.
According to Justice Halima Abdulmalik, the under aged involvement in armed banditry and kidnapping activities was possing a serious fear and threat to travelers and residents.
” What do you use the ransom you collect from your victims for. How much do you collect sofar from your victims. Why can’t you engage in a meaningful ventures than kidnapping innocent victims for ransome” she questioned.
Most of the kidnap suspects awaiting trial at the Minna old Correctional Custody are all teenagers between the ages of eighteen and nineteen.
The activities of the teenagers have become a serious security threat to the country particularly in the North.
However, the Chief judge could not attend to their case as their trial was still ongoing in Court, while those that admitted to their involvement in kidnapping were summarily convicted during the exercise.
It was observed that most of the kidnapping suspects on awaiting trial are all Fulanis mostly teenagers
