Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, has revealed that he flatly rejected a ₦300 million ransom demand made by kidnappers who abducted his brothers in 2019, firmly maintaining that yielding to such demands only finances and fuels further criminal enterprise.
Speaking during a recent state address on Thursday, Governor Lawal disclosed the private family ordeal to underscore his administration’s rigid stance against negotiating with bandits and terrorists.
In 2019, before his election to the state’s highest office, Lawal’s immediate brothers were seized by armed gunmen who subsequently demanded a massive payout of ₦300 million for their release. Despite the immense pressure and emotional toll on his family, Lawal refused to comply.
”Paying ransom only emboldens these criminals and provides them with the financial capacity to acquire more weapons, thereby perpetuating the cycle of violence,” Lawal stated, reflecting on his decision.
Rather than bowing to the financial demands of the abductors, the family relied on law enforcement and intelligence operations. His brothers were eventually rescued safely without any monetary exchange.
Governor Lawal’s personal experience has directly shaped his current administration’s security strategy in Zamfara, a state heavily impacted by banditry and mass abductions.
The Zamfara State Government maintains a strict no-ransom, no-negotiation policy with bandits. Lawal emphasized that state resources are strictly channeled toward empowering security agencies and community protection guards rather than enriching syndicates.
The Governor urged citizens and fellow leaders to adopt a unified front against ransom payments to effectively starve criminal networks of their primary economic lifeline.
