“I Told the Kidnappers to Kill My Brothers, I Won’t Pay ₦300m Ransom” — Zamfara Governor, Dauda Lawal
Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal has revealed that he refused to pay a ₦300 million ransom demanded by bandits who claimed to have abducted his brothers, insisting he would not negotiate with criminals.
The governor’s remarks come months after bandits released a video showing two abducted men claiming to be his biological brothers and pleading for help. However, Lawal had publicly denied any family relationship with the victims, describing the incident as a ploy by the kidnappers to attract attention and pressure the government.
According to the governor, he told the kidnappers to go ahead and kill the men rather than expect the state government to pay the huge ransom demand, maintaining that yielding to such demands would only encourage further criminality.
Lawal reiterated his administration’s commitment to fighting banditry through security operations rather than negotiations, stressing that paying ransom is not a sustainable solution to the security crisis in Zamfara State.
The governor’s stance has sparked mixed reactions, with some Nigerians praising his hardline approach against bandits, while others questioned the human cost of refusing to negotiate for the release of kidnap victims.
