After the abduction of six real estate marketers confirmed by the Ogun State Police Command, reactions flooded Facebook. One comment waved off a national security issue as a personal spat: “Na family matter, don’t worry yourself, them go settle.”
This falls under toxic minimization. The statement equates professional victims—real estate marketers—with armed groups like bandits, suggesting the crime is internal and harmless. In reality, abductions involve institutions like the Nigeria Police Force, communities, families, and livelihoods, not “family settlements.”
Labels like this redirect empathy into complacency. Assuming violence is casual or pre-resolved turns fear into apathy, normalizing psychological distance from real victims. The Red Flags notes the controversy without attacking the speaker, but the logic is clear: insecurity isn’t family mediation—it’s national urgency, needing awareness and accountability, not dismissal.
LINKS
