Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal has disclosed that he refused to pay a N300 million ransom when his brothers were abducted in 2019, declaring that he would rather they be killed than reward criminality and encourage further kidnappings. The governor made the revelation on Thursday, July 9, 2026, during the ARISE News and THISDAY Town Hall Conference on State Police and National Security in Abuja, where he also renewed his call for the establishment of state police as part of broader efforts to tackle insecurity across the country. Lawal's remarks came amid a growing national debate over security reforms and the controversial practice of ransom payments to kidnappers, which has become a defining feature of Nigeria's banditry crisis.
Recounting the personal ordeal, the governor said his brothers were abducted in 2019 and held captive for about three months by criminals who demanded approximately N300 million for their release. Rather than enter into negotiations or make any payment to the kidnappers, Lawal said he took a hardline stance against the abductors, refusing to yield to their demands. "My own brothers were kidnapped in 2019, and these criminals were demanding at the time about N300 million," he said. "And I said, look, I'm not going to pay a dime. If you like, go and kill them". According to the governor, his brothers were eventually released after three months in captivity without any ransom being paid. He argued that paying ransom only emboldens criminal groups by providing financial incentives for further abductions, and that the cycle of violence would continue unless Nigerians stop rewarding criminality. "By the time we continue to pay ransom to these people, we are encouraging them to be kidnapping people more and more," he said. Lawal stressed that his position on ransom payments remains unchanged, insisting that he would neither negotiate with nor pay criminals under any circumstances. "I will not negotiate, and I will not pay ransom to any criminal, no matter what happens," he declared.
Beyond his personal stance on ransom, Lawal used the platform to advocate for the establishment of state police, arguing that governors should be given operational control over security in their states if they are to be held accountable for protecting lives and property. He described one of his biggest frustrations as governor as being called the state's chief security officer without having the authority to direct 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. Lawal questioned how governors could be held responsible for insecurity when they lack operational control over policing, asking: "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 argued that state police would make elected leaders directly accountable for security in their states and allow state governments to properly fund and train security personnel. He faulted the current condition of the Nigeria Police Force, citing inadequate funding, poor welfare and insufficient training as factors that continue to weaken officers' performance and morale. To support his argument, Lawal disclosed that Zamfara State has invested heavily in security operations, with his administration funding more than 30 per cent of security activities in the state. He said the state had procured over 500 vehicles for security agencies in the last three years and recently provided 35 Armoured Personnel Carriers and Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles to support ongoing operations. The governor also highlighted the deployment of technology in the fight against insecurity, revealing that his administration had acquired both surveillance and attack drones to aid security forces in combating criminals.
Lawal maintained that strengthening security agencies through better funding, training and technology, rather than negotiating with armed groups, remains the best way to tackle banditry and kidnapping. "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. His remarks come amid a growing national debate over state police and broader security reforms, with proponents arguing that devolving policing powers to states could improve accountability and enhance responses to local security threats. The Zamfara governor's refusal to pay ransom for his own brothers, delivered with the chilling instruction to "go and kill them," has resonated deeply with Nigerians weary of the kidnapping epidemic, reigniting conversations about the ethics of ransom payments, the limits of personal sacrifice, and the urgent need for a security architecture that protects citizens without rewarding the criminals who terrorise them.
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