Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, has disclosed that he declined to pay a N300 million ransom demanded by kidnappers after his brothers were abducted in 2019.
He said yielding to such demands only fuels the cycle of kidnapping.
The governor made the revelation on Thursday during the ARISE News and THISDAY Townhall Conference in Abuja, where he defended his long-standing opposition to ransom payments and renewed his call for the establishment of state police.
Recalling the incident, Lawal said he stood his ground despite the emotional toll of the abduction.
“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 said.
According to him, the kidnappers eventually released his brothers after they had spent three months in captivity without receiving any ransom.
“By the time we continue to pay ransom to these people, we are encouraging them to be kidnapping people more and more,” he said, adding that he believed criminals would think twice about abducting people if ransom payments stopped.
Lawal reaffirmed that his administration would not negotiate with or pay criminals under any circumstance.
“I will not negotiate, and I will not pay ransom to any criminal, no matter what happens,” he declared.
The governor used the forum to advocate greater control for state governments over security operations, arguing that governors should have operational authority if they are expected to safeguard lives and property.
He lamented that although governors are widely regarded as chief security officers of their states, they lack the constitutional powers needed 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 the rationale behind holding governors responsible for insecurity when they have no direct authority over the police.
“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.
He maintained that creating state police would improve accountability by allowing residents to directly assess the performance of their elected leaders on security matters, while also enabling state governments to adequately fund and train security personnel.
The governor further argued that the Nigeria Police Force continues to grapple with inadequate funding, poor welfare and insufficient training, challenges he said have weakened the effectiveness of personnel.
Highlighting his administration’s investment in security, Lawal disclosed that Zamfara currently finances more than 30 per cent of security operations within the state.
He added that the government had procured over 500 operational vehicles for security agencies in the last three years and recently supplied 35 Armoured Personnel Carriers and Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles to strengthen ongoing operations.
The governor also said technology has become an integral part of the state’s security strategy.
“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 improving funding, training and technological support for security agencies offers a more sustainable solution to banditry and kidnapping than engaging in negotiations with criminal groups.
His remarks come amid renewed national conversations on state policing and broader security reforms, with advocates arguing that decentralising policing could strengthen local responses to insecurity and improve accountability.
