By Olawale Ogunbusola, Ibadan

Renowned entrepreneur and politician, Sen. Ben Murray-Bruce, has attributed the safe release of recently abducted victims in Oyo State to a shift in Nigeria’s counter-kidnapping strategy, saying security agencies are now negotiating and operating “from a position of strength.”

Murray-Bruce said this in a statement on his verified Facebook page on Sunday. He noted that the victims regained their freedom without the degree of abuse often associated with kidnappings, and that the outcome reflected deliberate intelligence and pressure tactics by security operatives.

“What many may not appreciate is that the Nigerian state is increasingly learning to negotiate from a position of strength rather than weakness,” he said.
“In the case of Oyo, instead of allowing kidnappers to dictate the terms, our security architecture applied pressure by targeting the support structures around the perpetrators. Kidnappers must know that crime against innocent Nigerians will attract overwhelming consequences.”

The Founder of Silverbird Group linked the current approach to the policies being driven by the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, describing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s appointment of Ribadu as “one of the finest decisions of his administration.”

“His approach is strategic, unconventional and focused on making kidnapping an increasingly costly enterprise for those who engage in it,” he said.

Murray-Bruce added that deterrence backed by intelligence would be key to reducing kidnapping nationwide.
“The day every kidnapper understands that crime will bring consequences not only for the perpetrators but for their networks, is the day kidnapping will begin to lose its appeal. Deterrence, backed by intelligence and the full weight of the law, is how nations win this fight,” he said.

He further stated that government must consider tougher infrastructure to hold offenders, saying: “a big beautiful prison should be built for kidnappers and their families.”

Recall that security agencies in the state have in recent months intensified intelligence-led operations against kidnapping syndicates operating along major highways and forest corridors.