Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, has disclosed that he rejected a N300 million ransom demand when his brothers were kidnapped in 2019, maintaining that paying criminals only fuels more abductions.
Lawal made this known on Thursday while speaking at the ARISE News and THISDAY Townhall Conference in Abuja, where he recounted his personal experience with banditry.
“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 recounted.
He said the kidnappers eventually freed his brothers after holding them for three months — and not a single kobo was paid.
“By the time we continue to pay ransom to these people, we are encouraging them to be kidnapping people more and more,” Lawal argued, expressing belief that criminals would think twice if ransom payments ceased entirely.
The governor made it clear that his stance remains unchanged.
“I will not negotiate, and I will not pay ransom to any criminal, no matter what happens,” he declared.
Lawal’s revelation came as he renewed his call for the establishment of state police, insisting that governors cannot be held accountable for security when they lack operational control over security agencies.
“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.
He questioned how governors could be expected to protect lives and property without the authority to direct security operations.
“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.
The governor argued that state police would allow citizens to hold their leaders directly responsible for security outcomes, while also enabling states to properly fund and train personnel.
He lamented that the Nigeria Police Force is underfunded, poorly trained, and poorly motivated — factors he said undermine their effectiveness.
To back his argument, Lawal revealed that Zamfara State now funds over 30 per cent of security operations in the state, having procured more than 500 vehicles for security agencies over the last three years. He added that the state recently provided 35 Armoured Personnel Carriers and Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles to boost operations.
“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.
Lawal insisted that strengthening security agencies through funding, training, and technology — rather than negotiating with armed groups — remains the most effective approach to tackling banditry and kidnapping.
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