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Over the past few months, Aba has taken over as the most dangerous city in Nigeria. A lot of people are now relocating from the city for fear of getting kidnapped, robbed, maimed or killed. Crime rate is on all time high in the city and the police seem unequal to the task of providing security in the city.

After having a nice time-out with friends, Paul Adewumni, an engineer with a construction firm, was abducted on his way home, by 6 armed young men. That was about 8pm Sunday, on a very busy street in Port Harcourt, South-Eastern Nigeria.

After about 4 hours later, shortly after midnight, the already panicking wife of Mr. Adewumni received a call. A hoarse voice told her that her husband and father of her two children has been kidnapped, and that she is should pay a ransom of N10 million within 24 hours or consider herself a widow.   

Immediately, Mrs Adewumni started making all contacts possible: calling friends and family relatives, soliciting for prayers and any other kind of support, including financial donations or even loans. Losing her husband was not an option.

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Eventually, she was able to raise the amount before the expiration of a 12-hour deadline extension and was asked to bring it to a location in Aba, a nearby city [about 30minutes drive away], before noon on Tuesday.

The young man, a relative, who volunteered to drop the ransom, arrived just about time. Then shortly, 6 men armed with AK-47s and other fierce arms, appeared on motorcycles, took their positions causing panic amongst the crowd of passersby. Within a minute or so they identified the ransom-bearer; snatched bag of cash and zoomed off.

As many of such transactions go, friends and relatives of Mr Adewumni had gathered awaiting his arrival. Instead, few hours later, the same voice called again demanding extra N2 million.

Needless to say that planned arrival party turned into a prayer meeting. In what can be referred to as divine intervention, Mr Adewumni met his family some minutes after noon on Wednesday.

Stories like this are now very common in Aba. The city which was known for shoe-making and commercial centre is now known for kidnappings, armed robberies, and assassinations. Aba is undoubtedly the current most dangerous city in Nigeria and probably one of the most dangerous in the world.

Many residents live afraid, literally waiting and preparing for their time.

It is believed that the situation is an offshoot the Niger-Delta militancy and has now turned a lucrative business.

However, the puzzle still remains that the police seem completely incapable of quelling the trend and providing security in the city.