Kidnapping in Nigeria and Somalia is big business. The kidnappers see themselves as Robin Hood figures, targeting the hated oil companies who they accuse of plundering the country’s natural resources without giving anything back. They attack drilling platforms on powerful speedboats, abducting foreign nationals to later exchange for ransoms. Last year, there were 73 of these attacks, resulting in 62 abductions.
For several months, we tracked the soldiers, sailors and pirates, accompanying them on raids to reveal how they operate.
With no state, no bank system, a scarce army, and an under-equipped police force, the majority of Somalia is completely out of government control.
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How has the extremist group Boko Haram, which began as a small Islamic sect, managed to make Nigeria, the richest country in Africa, and all its neighbours, tremble with fear?
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