Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, has revealed that he rejected a ₦300 million ransom demand after his brothers were kidnapped in 2019, insisting that paying criminals only encourages more abductions.
Speaking at the ARISE News/THISDAY Town Hall Conference on State Police and National Security in Abuja, the governor shared the emotional experience, saying his brothers spent about three months in captivity before they were eventually released without any ransom being paid.
Recalling the incident, Lawal maintained that he refused to negotiate with the kidnappers despite the pressure.
“My own brothers were kidnapped in 2019, and the kidnappers demanded about ₦300 million. I told them I was not going to pay a dime. If they wanted to kill them, they could go ahead,” he said.
According to the governor, giving in to ransom demands only strengthens criminal networks and encourages more kidnappings across the country.
“If we continue to pay ransom, we are encouraging these criminals to kidnap more people. The cycle will only continue unless we stop rewarding criminality,” Lawal stated.
He stressed that his position remains unchanged, declaring that he would never negotiate with or pay ransom to kidnappers under any circumstance.
Beyond the issue of ransom payments, Lawal renewed his call for the creation of state police, arguing that governors are often described as chief security officers of their states but lack the constitutional authority to direct security agencies.
“In as much as I am called the chief security officer of the state, I do not have the command-and-control authority to direct the operations of the security agencies,” he said.
The governor added that he is ready to support the funding of state police if established, expressing confidence that decentralised policing would improve intelligence gathering, faster response to security threats and the overall fight against insecurity.
Source: ARISE News/THISDAY Town Hall Conference
