This is the concluding part of the kidnapping prevention series, we hope the first two parts have been informative. Security is a necessity, regardless of who you are, you have the right to security of life and property.
Even though it’s the governments primary duty to provide us with security, it is also responsibility as individual to equip ourselves with knowledge and resource to keep everything that concerns us safe.
In this article we share 5 more tips to preventing Kidnapping in Nigeria
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Avoid Wearing Your Identity Card outside your work place
No one needs to know where you work, no one really cares about what you earn whether in million or in hundreds of thousands. Ideally, Identity cards are to be worn within your workplace, it’s just an identity card! It differentiates you from visitors in the company. If you are going for an official assignment, you should only show your Identity Card on request alone or for verification purposes.
If you work at the Aso Rock even if you work as a cleaner for instance, it’ s dangerous to flash your Identity Card, errand kidnappers can see you as a target because of the place you work.
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Be accountable to someone
It’s always good to have someone watch your back, let someone know where you are at every point in time, even if you are going to the end of a street, tell someone!
Having the situational information of a place can be helpful. For instance, if there is a robbery or an unrest in a particular place and you planning to go there, telling someone who have a forehand information can just prevent you from going there.
It is also easy for the Police to track or trace a missing person if they have information on the whereabouts of the victim, its make rescue come faster.
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Don’t send kids alone on errand outside your house
This is Nigeria, it is our tradition to send our children on errand outside the house, a parent who refuses to go this route is assumed to be over pampering the child.
It is impossible to stop this act, however, in a time as this, it is advisable to not send kids out alone, especially at night or on streets that are usually quiet. Doing this makes the kids soft targets for kidnappers. Be guarded!
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Don’t stay late in your office long after closing hours
Business premises where security guards services are employed usually insist employees don’t stay or work after the standard working hours (8pm-4pm). If you must work late, the rest of the work at home or later.
The reason for this is that kidnappers can easily see you leave or drive out of your company premises at night, plus you cannot quickly notice if you are being trailed, as oppose to going leaving when it’s not dark yet.
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Mind what you post about yourself on social media
We warned against posting your children in their school uniform on social media in the previous article. It is also important you are careful of the updates you share about yourself on social media, captions like ‘home alone’ or any one that can make one to think you have so much money lying around the house is a no-no!
Summary
Security is a serious matter! Don’t not sit on the fence on this critical aspect of our daily life. It is important to development. The fight against banditry and kidnapping can only be won on multiple front.
In our next article we are going to look at the effort of political leaders in putting an end to this menace.
Remember to share this piece of information with friends and family, you never can’t tell who will need this.
Please stay safe.