Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal has revealed that he rejected a N300 million ransom demand after kidnappers abducted his brothers in 2019, insisting he would rather risk losing them than bankroll criminal gangs.
Speaking at a town hall conference in Abuja on Thursday, July 9, 2026, Lawal said paying ransom only emboldens kidnappers and fuels the growing wave of abductions across Nigeria.
The governor, who also renewed his call for the creation of state police to tackle insecurity, recalled that the abductors demanded N300 million for his brothers’ release.
“My own brothers were kidnapped in 2019, and these criminals were demanding about N300 million. And I said, ‘Look, I’m not going to pay a dime. If you like, go and kill them,'” he said.
Lawal disclosed that despite refusing to negotiate or pay the ransom, his brothers were eventually freed after spending about three months in captivity.
He said the experience strengthened his conviction that ransom payments only empower criminal networks and encourage more kidnappings.
“By the time we continue to pay ransom to these people, we are encouraging them to kidnap people more and more,” he said.
The governor argued that kidnappers would be discouraged if they realised families and governments would not give in to their demands.
Reaffirming his hardline stance, Lawal declared that he would never negotiate with or reward criminals under any circumstances.
“I will not negotiate, and I will not pay ransom to any criminal, no matter what happens.”
