The Zamfara State Governor, Prof. Dauda Lawal, has confirmed that he had refused to pay any ransom to the kidnappers that abducted his brothers some time ago in 2019 because he told them that if they wanted to kill his brothers, they should go ahead. The move was inspired by his many years of conviction that talking to kidnappers only helps the criminals that facilitate kidnappings, he said.
Lawal at the specially called ARISE News/THISDAY Town Hall Conference in Abuja on security challenges and state policing reported that the kidnappers requested the release of his brothers in exchange for N300 million.
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Even when the men who took the kids imprisoned for ransom stated it was a family matter, he was certain that he would not pay or negotiate for their return.
The governor said he told the criminals that all his brothers were abducted in 2019 and if they wanted, go kill them as I won’t pay “a dime.
His brothers were later released, though for a period of about three months without any ransom, Lawal said. He identified the kidnapping of innocent Nigeria citizens as big business, saying that the amount of money demanded by the criminal could only be repaid by the country’s payment and questioned why the Nigerian government must continue to pay kidnapers.
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The governor emphasized that the nature and severity of the case have not affected his status as governor, and also said that he would never negotiate with and never pay criminals, no matter what happens.
He emphasized that Nigeria would need more security operations and not monetary payouts of armed groups in the war against banditry and kidnapping.
Lawal has again revived his appeal to the creation of state police, saying that governors have been called chief security officers of their states but are denied constitutional powers over the police and other federal security agencies.
He emphasized that if governors are to be held accountable for protecting lives and property, they will need to be given operational control if they are to be effective in policing.
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Zamfara’s investment in security, Lawal revealed that his government had captured over 500 operational vehicles, 35 Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs), Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles and surveillance and attack drones to boost the security operations in the state and fight bandit activities.
However, Lawal believes the best way to enhance security is to invest more funds, technologies, intelligence and decentralise the policing to make the situation change in Zamfara and other parts of northern Nigeria to eradicate the continuous spate of banditry and kidnapping which are rampant.
