21/03/2026
If you are attacked and kidnapped by bandits along the road as travellers, please:
1. Don't argue with someone with an AK-47 in his hand, comply and follow them.
2. Don't follow them with your phone, is either throw it away or leave it inside the bus or car because the phone will determine the high or low ransom.
3. If the bandits do not get your mobile phone when you reach the forest, you have two options to perform:
a. The bandits will ask you to call any of your family members you know their phone no, and if you know that you have money to pay for the ransom, or if someone can pay for your ransom, please give them the phone no to call and start negotiating till they release you
b. If you know that you don't have money or anyone to pay for your ransom, please don't give them any phone no, stand your ground that you can't remember any phone no. You will go through hell but stand your ground, the bandits will later release you but you will go through hell.
4. Remember that if they collect your phone after your release, the phone will not be given back to you, so it's better for you to throw it away or leave it inside the car.
5. If you refuse to give them your family member's phone no to call for ransom, sometimes, they would add your own ransom to those victims who call their family to pay for your ransom because you have no family to pay on your behalf.
Important precautions:
1. Avoid posting or storing too many displays of wealth on your phone.
2. Lock sensitive apps with passwords.
3. Remove unnecessary bank alerts or sensitive screenshots.
4. Be careful about what you post on social media.
5. Avoid saving sensitive financial information openly in your phone.
In today's Nigeria, security awareness is not only about where you travel, but also about what you carry in your pocket.
Remember this:
A phone is not just a communication tool anymore — it can become evidence used against you.
So use your phone wisely, travel carefully, and always think.
