Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal has revealed that he refused to pay the ₦300 million ransom demanded by k!dnappers who abducted his brothers in 2019, insisting that giving in to such demands only fuels more criminal activities.
Speaking on Thursday at the Arise News/THISDAY Town Hall Conference on State Police and National Security in Abuja, the governor said the k!dnappers demanded ₦300 million after seizing his brothers, but he refused to negotiate.
Recalling the incident, Lawal said, “My own brothers were k!dnapped in 2019, and these crimi.nals 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 k!ll them.'”
He disclosed that his brothers eventually regained their freedom after spending three months in captivity without any ransom being paid.
The governor maintained that paying ransom only emboldens kidnappers to continue targeting innocent people.
“By the time we continue to pay ransom to these people, we are encouraging them to be kidnapping people more and more,” he said.
Reaffirming his stance, Lawal added, “I will not negotiate, and I will not pay ransom to any criminal, no matter what happens.”
He also reiterated his support for the creation of state police, arguing that governors cannot effectively secure their states without operational control over security agencies.