Human rights lawyer and lead counsel to the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Ifeanyi Ejiofor, has challenged the Federal Government to publish a comprehensive and verifiable list of Nigerians currently held in captivity across the country.
Ejiofor made the demand in a statement issued on Wednesday titled, “Midweek Musing: The Arithmetic of Abandonment — Can the Government Still Count Its Captives? A Call for Candour on Nigerians Still in Kidnappers’ Dens.”
In the statement, he urged the Federal Government, through the Office of the National Security Adviser and relevant security agencies, to provide a detailed statistical account of citizens allegedly trapped in kidnappers’ dens nationwide.
He specifically asked the authorities to disclose the total number of persons presently in captivity, the number rescued within the past year, the number confirmed dead, and the number whose status remains unknown.
He also called for a breakdown of the states and localities most affected, as well as the operational strategies currently being deployed to secure victims’ release.
Ejiofor insisted that transparency remains a cornerstone of democratic governance.
He argued that openness in matters of national security does not signal weakness but strengthens accountability and public trust.
“Even if their loved ones remain in captivity, they must at least know that the State has not consigned them to bureaucratic oblivion,” he stated.
The lawyer maintained that while the government may grapple with complex security challenges, it owes citizens the minimum obligation of proper documentation and disclosure.
“A government that cannot protect every citizen must, at the very least, be able to count them.
Number them
He said, “If we cannot secure them, can we not at least number them? Or has the arithmetic of governance also become a casualty of insecurity?” he asked.
Raising constitutional concerns, Ejiofor questioned whether the State has lost track of the very citizens it is mandated to protect.
“Is it now heretical to enquire whether the Government has lost count of the very citizens it is constitutionally bound to protect?
“Or are we to assume that statistics, like the victims themselves, have simply vanished into the forests?” he queried.
He anchored his argument on the constitutional responsibility of government to safeguard life and property.
According to him, the social contract between citizens and the State is neither symbolic nor decorative but a binding covenant that places security at the heart of governance.
Ejiofor lamented that kidnapping has evolved into what he described as a “grotesque industry” spreading across rural and urban communities alike.
He referenced recent reports of attacks in parts of the country, including incidents in Abia and Kwara States, where large numbers of residents were reportedly abducted.
Ejiofor decried the brazenness of criminal groups, noting that some now release videos of captives as though issuing “quarterly performance reports.”
“These criminals do not merely operate in shadows; they taunt, they publicise, and they mock,” he said, adding that the development raises troubling questions about the State’s data management and response mechanisms.
Recurring abductions
He cited recurring abductions in states such as Kaduna, Enugu, Katsina, Benue, Adamawa, Niger and Borno.
The human rights defender argued that while rescue announcements often generate temporary relief, fresh attacks quickly follow, leaving communities traumatised and statistics uncertain.
“This is not a partisan lamentation. It is a constitutional enquiry,” he declared.
Ejiofor urged the Federal Government to publish periodic and verifiable data on captivity cases to reassure citizens that the State remains actively engaged.
He stressed that families of victims deserve official acknowledgment and consistent updates on the fate of their loved ones.
“Transparency is not an act of weakness; it is an instrument of accountability,” he said.
He warned that history would judge not only the actions of criminal gangs but also the resolve of those entrusted with sovereign authority.
According to him, silence cannot substitute for strategy, and withholding statistics only erodes public trust.
“The Nigerian people do not ask for rhetoric. They ask for truth. And truth, like security, is not optional in a constitutional democracy,” he added.
