Stakeholders have called on families to imbibe the teachings of contentment and moral values in homes to address the incidences of family members faking their own kidnapping.
Some of the stakeholders who made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Abuja blamed the ugly trend on moral decadence in families.
Pastor Ralph Illuyemi of the Four Square Gospel Church, Kuje, said the growing trend of youths and some family members faking their kidnapping to extort money from their families had become a source of worry.
He said poverty was not the only reason for the growing trend of fake kidnapping among youths in the country but the failure of parents to live up to their responsibilities.
Illuyemi said the attitude of some Nigerians, asking for what the government could do for them without thinking of what they could do for themselves, was part of the reasons for these evil acts.
He said the current trend of worshipping children based on the money they bring back home without questions on the sources of the money was part of the reasons for increasing crimes among youths.
“When the family foundation is built on morals, contentment, and fear of God, it is difficult for children from such homes to misbehave outside.
“But, when parents leave these responsibilities and begin to worship children based on the money they bring back home without asking questions on the source of the money, criminal tendencies must be expected.
“Pastors and Imams must also join in the teachings of holiness and respect for moral values and shun the celebration of members who bring in money without asking questions on the source,” he said.
Mr. Victor Onyekachi, a legal practitioner, said the growing trend of youths faking their kidnapping to extort money from their families had called for concern.
Onyekachi, the founder of the Victor Foundation for Humanity and Human Rights, an NGO, blamed the ugly trend on the collapse and failure in family values.
He said this was a reflection of total collapse and failure in family values that were in the past, protected, entrenched, upheld, and considered very important by every family member.
“Today, these family values of respect, righteous living, uprightness, good morals, and fear of God have been eroded because of the failure of parents.
“To address this challenge, arising from greed and lack of contentment among youths, families must go back to the drawing board.
“Families must begin to practice family values at home; they must start teaching children morality and contentment,” he said.
Onyekachi called for stiff penalties for youths found involved in faking their own kidnapping, adding that it was a crime that deserved severe punishment.
He urged security agencies not to take the issue with laxity because if allowed to strive, it could pose great danger to the entire society.
The legal practitioner, therefore, advocated that security agencies must ensure the prosecution of youths involved in the ugly trend to extort money from their family members.
He said the idea was to deter persons intending to engage in the menace.
Mr. Philip Babatunde, a teacher, said the behavior of youths in wider society was a reflection of the content of school curriculum.
“It is the kind of development we want to see in society that is reflected in the school curriculum.
“So, the curriculum of schools must be redesigned to incorporate morality, respect, contentment, and fear of God that can protect the youths from this abnormal behaviour.
“Subjects like Christian Religious Studies and Islamic Religious Studies must be taken more seriously in the educational system,” he said.
Mr. James Maliki, a student, blamed the increasing trend of youths framing their kidnapping to extort money from the parent for poor family mentorship.
He said exposure of youths to extravagant lifestyles that could not be sustained in the long run was another reason for youths engaging in the ugly trend.
Another student, Umar Usman, said the issue of hard drugs should not be ruled out, as youths engaging in drugs would do anything to get money.
“Most crimes you see around, particularly robbery, kidnapping, and banditry, are done by youths involved in hard drugs.
“We need to be serious in checking the problem of hard drugs because it fuels all kinds of crimes,” Usman said.
The Police Public Relations Officer in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), SP Josephine Adeh, said cases of persons engaging in their own kidnapping were not rampant in the territory.
She said few cases were recorded in 2024. (NAN)
