GUSAU, Nigeria — Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal has revealed that he once refused to pay a N300 million ransom demanded for the release of his kidnapped brothers, telling the abductors to go ahead and kill them if they wished, as he reiterated his administration’s hardline stance against negotiating with criminals.
The governor made the disclosure on Thursday during the Arise News Town Hall on State Police, where he argued that paying ransom only strengthens criminal networks and encourages more abductions.
‘If You Like, Go Ahead and Kill Them’
Recalling the painful experience, Lawal said his brothers were kidnapped in 2019, with the abductors demanding N300 million for their release. Despite the personal nature of the incident, he insisted he would not bow to the demands of the criminals.
“My own brothers were kidnapped in 2019, and these criminals demanded N300 million. I told them, ‘Look, I’m not going to pay a dime. If you like, go ahead and kill them,’ because if we continue paying ransoms to these people, we are encouraging them to kidnap more people,” Lawal said.
The governor maintained that the fight against kidnapping requires governments and citizens to resist financing criminal groups, warning that ransom payments only embolden bandits to intensify their activities.
State Police Advocacy
Lawal also declared his administration’s readiness to fund state police to fight criminals, expressing confidence that Zamfara would be able to finance its own security outfit if the constitutional amendment establishing state police is eventually approved.
He argued that decentralising policing would improve intelligence gathering, strengthen community-based security, and enhance the fight against banditry across the country.
Previous Denials and Political Context
The governor’s latest disclosure comes amid a backdrop of controversy surrounding his family’s connection to kidnapping incidents. In July 2025, Lawal denied claims by two kidnapped victims who, under duress, told their abductors that they were his younger brothers.
At the time, the governor’s spokesperson, Sulaiman Bala Idris, described the incident as “a new ploy by bandits to gain attention and bolster the sagging morale of their members,” noting that the governor has only one sibling, a woman.
The issue has also become a political football. In September 2024, former Zamfara Governor and current Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, claimed that during his tenure, an 18-year-old brother of Lawal was kidnapped and released unconditionally without ransom through dialogue with bandits.
A Crisis of Insecurity
Zamfara State has been plagued by banditry and kidnapping for years, with criminal gangs terrorising communities and demanding hefty ransoms. In August 2025, Lawal visited communities in Kauran Namoda LGA following repeated bandit attacks, where reports indicated that 144 people had been kidnapped, 24 killed, and 16 injured across several local government areas.
As the governor continues to advocate for a zero-ransom policy, his personal experience underscores the difficult choices facing leaders in regions ravaged by insecurity, where the line between personal sacrifice and public duty often blurs.
