By Isama Abel,

The lukewarm attitude the public has towards security accounts for about 80% of kidnapping incidents that take place. The negligent 20% typically falls under what may be described as victims of circumstances. This is evidently an incontrovertible fact going by a shared common belief that runs as a thread through all circles of security experts and non-security professionals alike in affirming that the security of oneself begins with him. Regrettably, many of us scarcely bother about security until something happens either to us or in the neighborhood. Thus our complacent mindset towards security appears to be the kidnappers’ best friend and our worst enemy.

Lately, the pages of our newspapers are almost on a daily basis inundated with reports of one kidnapping incident or the other. A most recent case is the kidnapping of a Veritas Catholic University in Abia State, Nigeria – Rev Fr Justin Ukpong whose abductors insisted on either the payment of a ransom of six million naira or have the ailing cleric killed. The armed security guards deployed to stem the rising trend of kidnapping in the South Eastern part of the country then were caught napping and hence appeared helpless to the devil-may-care attitude exhibited by the kidnappers.

This article is intended to arouse your feelings towards the realization that the biggest deterrents to burglars or kidnappers are the fear of been spotted and any snag that is likely to drag their feet beyond what they perceived as reasonable time to perfect their criminal act. By extension, a few proactive measures albeit extensive but inexhaustible critical points to note and the way out of this imbroglio are suggested here. The average person is at liberty to make his family, himself, his dwelling and work places less attractive as targets to kidnappers through stern compliance with some of the hints highlighted below:

1. Update Your Mobile Phone

Configure your mobile handset with most up-to-date secret security device that when in distress, a one-hand touch through speed dialing on a given key alerts security agents promptly not only about your distressed condition but also your present whereabouts. This device is usually implanted on the mother-board of the phone and with the help of GPRS that it works with, your presence like the golden fish can never be hidden from public glare. It is particularly useful also in your post-kidnapping period as kidnappers are not known to strip their victims of their mobile phones even if they clutch everything else away from you since such phones are usually used as a point of contact.

2. Maintain Airtight Security Attitude In Your House

Experiences have shown that about 80% of kidnapped victims are usually picked up from their hotel room, house or that of close associate’s. Abductors very few if any, merely go about to pick at their targets off the roads as most of their acts are codified or shrouded in secrecy. Ensure even when you are at home your gates are locked and the guard, housemaid, dependants etc if any are seen to stick to this golden rule religiously at all times. Secure sliding glass doors with bars to block the closed door, and do the same for basement windows and garage doors. Besides fixing alarm, locks and other related panic devices fitting spy-holes on gates and doors are also advisable so that you are never unaware of who is at the other end.

3. Apply The Need To Know Strategy

Never announce your itinerary and other related details to anybody when you are billed to attend a function or even local movements in the vicinity of your residence except those that need to know. Discourage fresh meetings of social contacts requesting your presence at a preferred venue of their choice. It may be a ploy to lure you into some waiting hands.

4. Shun Hitch-Hiking

Hostage takers employ dissimilar maneuvers as baits to hook on their potential preys and hitch-hiking is one of them. It is common logic to know that when you find yourself alone in their midst anything can happen as you are obviously helpless and at their mercy to do whatever they dictate.

5. Safety of Kids

You must be exceptionally very careful about children’s attitude not only to school but to any public place like the museum, beach, supermarkets etc. Disregard the habit of children wearing any particular clothes with their names inscribe on it as strangers could capitalize on this to call them by their names to feign they are relations to the family. They should be urged to draw attention of the public when a stranger tries to pull a funny trick on them by shouting ‘fire, fire, fire’ while at same time retreating to crowded areas. This set-up could be role-played at home and supervised by parents severally until they get used to it.

6. Movement of Expatriates

Expatriates, emigrants or whatever nomenclature this may emerge refers mostly to the white-skinned foreigners in the country carrying out one contracting job or the other either on their own accord or on behalf of companies, state or Nigerian government. This set of people is predominantly their preferred targets as it is believed once they picked on them their representative(s) or mentors would instantly intervene by entering into negotiation. Given these privileged information, the movements of expatriates must as a matter of routine be carried out with security guards in a separate vehicle or vehicles assigned for this purpose. Their movements to and from the airports must only be made known only to those who need to know. Residential quarters, hotels and resort centres must be manned by security guards round the clock. Social outings and official engagements to public places must be curtailed or done through proxies except it is unavoidably a matter of obligation. Nocturnal female friends or night angels as they are these days called: a euphemism for call girls, cooks and unscrupulous friends. From antecedents, they are the connecting bridge between these expatriates and kidnappers as they filter information on pecuniary grounds to the latter. The activities of these set of associates should be expediently disregarded where necessary.

7. Alter Your Route

This age long philosophy has always helped prudent travelers and or executives in a bid to keep their movements harmless from the hands of dishonest men. Kidnappers exploit on your regular routes you take to and from work to prey on you. Always have a Plan B or option for an alternate route to resort to sometimes at your own discretion and especially when there is a perceived danger on your regular route.

8. Privacy

If you are being chauffeured driven, keep all private discussions with colleagues at back seat neatly out of the reach of your driver and probably the escort at the front seats. They may feign to be concentrating in driving and alertness alright but in actually sense they are also eavesdropping to know your lapses so as to possibly use them against you when the need arises.

Another vicious crime related to kidnapping that has crippled and is still crippling most homes today is the incidence of identity theft. Very many of us are aware of the threats and risks associated with it but do not know how to put an end to it. Find out today some useful tips on how you can deter it before it happens.

Isama Abel is the author of this article - 8 Useful Tips to Avoid Being Kidnapped. For a related guide on how to keep check on your family, prevent theft, keep watch on cheating spouses, monitor your employees at work and keep watch on your nanny even when you are at work or are hundreds of miles away from home with the aid of your cell phone or computer you can visit his website at: http://keepsurveillanceonyourhomewhileatwork.blogspot.com/