Dramatically, America rescued its citizen, Philip Walton, 27, who had been kidnapped by a group of armed men in Niger and relocated to northern Nigeria. The rescue operation carried out by U.S. Navy SEAL Team 6 in the early hours of October 31 demonstrated not only America’s military capacity and the political will of the country’s leadership but also citizen value. Importantly, it was testimony to the benefit of international cooperation against criminality.
“We will never abandon any American taken hostage,” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said after the successful operation, which he attributed to “the extraordinary courage and capabilities of our military, the support of our intelligence professionals, and our diplomatic efforts.”
The kidnapers had invaded Walton’s residence in Massalata in southern Niger on October 27, and moved him to their base across the border in Nigeria. There was a high probability the American captive, who had lived in Massalata for two years, raising camels, could be sold to extremists.
The activities of groups linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State intensified extremism in West Africa, and terror groups have reportedly made millions of dollars from kidnappings in the sub-region in recent years.
For instance, at least six foreign hostages are being held by Islamist insurgents in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger. Among the captives, two were kidnapped in Niger, American aid worker Jeffery Woodke, who has been missing since October 2016, and German aid worker Joerg Lange, who was taken in April 2018.
In Walton’s case, the global war on terrorism provided a context for collaboration involving the governments of America, Niger and Nigeria. The American special rescue team benefited from the support of the MultiNational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) comprising troops from Republic of Benin, Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria, which are currently fighting the terror group Boko Haram around Lake Chad. American forces are stationed at two bases in Niger.
It is significant that Nigeria’s Minister of Defence, Major-General Bashir Salihi Magashi (retd), dismissed the view that the rescue operation by the American military on Nigerian soil was a violation of the country’s sovereignty. “There is nothing wrong with a friendly nation taking permission to conduct an operation which is for the mutual good of the countries. That is why we allowed it to happen,” he explained.
The rescue operation showed how highly America values its citizens. The value a country’s government places on its citizens is a major factor in how it responds to their abduction, whether at home or in foreign lands. Nigeria should learn from this.
Not every American kidnapped abroad has been rescued, but this does not diminish America’s commendable sense of citizen value which it demonstrated in the Walton abduction case resolved in less than a week. The abductors were killed in the rescue operation, and the abductee was rescued unharmed.
The response of the Nigerian government in two notorious cases of abduction of Nigerians leaves much to be desired. More than 100 of the 276 schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram in Chibok, Borno State, in April 2014 are still in captivity. This happened under the President Goodluck Jonathan administration.
Also, Leah Sharibu, the teenager kidnapped by Boko Haram in February 2018 under the President Muhammadu Buhari administration, is still in captivity. She was among 110 schoolgirls abducted from the Government Girls Science and Technical College (GGGSTC), Dapchi, Yobe State.
Sadly, five of the kidnapped girls reportedly died in captivity. Others abducted with Leah were set free in March that year. Those released were Muslims. Leah, a Christian, was not released because she refused to renounce her faith and convert to Islam.
It is noteworthy that in both Chibok and Dapchi abduction cases, abductees were released by their abductors, not rescued by government forces.
Obviously, there are lessons for Nigeria, particularly regarding citizen value, in the successful rescue operation carried out by foreign forces on its soil.
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