I told kidnappers to kill my abducted brothers, refused to pay N300m ransom — Gov Lawal

Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal has said he rejected a N300 million ransom demand after kidnappers abducted his brothers in 2019, declaring that he would rather they kill them than receive any payment from him.

Lawal spoke on Thursday at the ARISE News and THISDAY Townhall Conference in Abuja, where he defended his hardline position against ransom payments and warned that giving money to kidnappers only fuels more abductions.

“My own brothers were kidnapped in 2019, and these criminals were demanding at the time about 300 million. And I said, look, I’m not going to pay a dime. If you like, go and kill them,” the governor said.

He said his brothers regained their freedom after spending three months in captivity, without any ransom being paid to the abductors.

Lawal said ransom payments only embolden criminal groups and encourage them to continue kidnapping innocent people for money.

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“By the time we continue to pay ransom to these people, we are encouraging them to be kidnapping people more and more,” he said, adding that he believed criminals would think twice about abducting people if ransom payments stopped.

The governor said his position has remained unchanged, insisting that he would never enter into talks with kidnappers or make any payment to them.

“I will not negotiate, and I will not pay a ransom to any criminal, no matter what happens,” he declared.

Lawal made the comments while pushing for the creation of state police, arguing that governors cannot be held responsible for insecurity when they do not have direct authority over security agencies operating in their states.

He said one of the biggest contradictions of public office is being called a chief security officer without having the power to direct the security architecture within the state.

“In as much as I was called or I’m being called the chief security officer of the states, however, I don’t have the command and control structure to determine what happens or give instructions to some of these security officers,” he said.

According to him, security is central to development, and governors should not be blamed for security failures when they lack operational control over policing and law enforcement.

“Why is it difficult for people to understand that my primary responsibility is the protection of lives and property, and I don’t have that control? How do you hold me accountable?” he asked.

Lawal said the establishment of a state police would make governors directly answerable to citizens on security matters, while also allowing states to fund, train and equip personnel based on local realities.

He also faulted the current condition of the Nigeria Police Force, saying inadequate funding, poor welfare and insufficient training continue to weaken officers’ performance and morale.

The governor said Zamfara has continued to commit substantial resources to security, disclosing that his administration currently finances more than 30 per cent of security operations in the state.

He said the state government had purchased over 500 vehicles for security agencies in the past three years and recently added 35 Armoured Personnel Carriers and Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles to strengthen ongoing operations.

Lawal added that his administration has also introduced technology into the state’s security response through the acquisition of surveillance and attack drones.

“We bought drones, both surveillance drones and attack drones, to be able to aid the security forces in terms of fighting these criminals in their respective areas,” he said.

He maintained that the way out of banditry and kidnapping is to strengthen security agencies with the right funding, training and technology, rather than reward criminality through negotiations and ransom payments.