Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal has disclosed that he refused to pay a ₦300 million ransom demanded by kidnappers after his brothers were abducted in 2019, saying he was prepared to lose them rather than finance criminal networks terrorising communities across Nigeria.
Speaking on Thursday at the ARISE News/THISDAY Town Hall Conference in Abuja, Lawal said he made the painful decision because paying ransom would only strengthen the operations of armed gangs and fuel further kidnappings.
Recalling the ordeal, the governor said the abductors demanded ₦300 million for the release of his brothers, but he declined to negotiate or provide financial support to the criminals despite the immense emotional pressure.
“I told them I would not pay. If they wanted to kill them, they should go ahead,” Lawal said, describing the decision as one of the most difficult moments of his life.
Lawal maintained that ransom payments have become a major source of funding for criminal gangs operating across northwestern Nigeria, arguing that yielding to such demands only emboldens kidnappers to target more victims.
The governor said his personal experience reinforced his conviction that Nigeria must adopt a firm, coordinated approach against banditry and kidnapping rather than allowing criminal groups to profit from their activities.
His remarks come as insecurity continues to pose one of the country’s most pressing challenges, particularly in Zamfara and neighbouring states, where armed groups have carried out mass abductions, attacks on rural communities and violent raids despite ongoing military operations.
Lawal stressed that defeating banditry requires sustained security operations, stronger governance, improved intelligence gathering and the collective resolve of citizens to deny criminal organisations the financial incentives that enable them to expand their activities.
Successive Nigerian governments have repeatedly discouraged the payment of ransom to kidnappers, warning that such payments not only finance organised crime but also increase the likelihood of further abductions.
The governor’s revelation has reignited debate over Nigeria’s kidnapping crisis, with security experts divided over the moral dilemma families face when loved ones are held captive. While many relatives pay ransom as a desperate attempt to save lives, authorities continue to insist that refusing to negotiate remains essential to weakening criminal networks over the long term.
