Niger Delta Weekly Update for October 24-30, 2021

This special edition of the weekly update spotlights the growing threat of kidnapping for ransom in the Niger Delta with a focus on targeted kidnapping of students and educators in Cross River State. According to data (see map below), more than 35 incidents of kidnapping for ran-som were reported in Cross Rivers State between January 2018 and September 2021. Recent data shows an upsurge in reported incidents of kidnapping for ransom including targeted kidnapping of university students and lecturers in the State. In July 2021, for example, two male stu-dents of the University of Calabar were reportedly kidnapped on the university campus in Calabar, the state capital. The victims were later released after a ransom was allegedly paid. Separately, in October, a male and a female student of the University of Calabar were reportedly abducted by gunmen suspected to be kidnappers in Calabar town. More recently, on October 23, 2021, a former professor in the University of Cross River State (UNICROSS) was reportedly abducted by gunmen at his residence at a housing estate in Calabar town, Calabar Municipal LGA.