ABUJA — Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, has revealed that he refused to pay a ₦300 million ransom demanded by kidnappers who abducted his brothers in 2019, maintaining that paying ransom only fuels kidnapping and other criminal activities.
The governor disclosed this on Thursday while speaking at the ARISE News/THISDAY Town Hall Conference on State Police and National Security in Abuja, where he reiterated his opposition to negotiating with bandits and renewed his support for the establishment of state police.
Lawal recounted that his brothers were held captive for about three months after their abduction, but he declined to meet the kidnappers’ ransom demand despite the personal ordeal.
“My own brothers were kidnapped in 2019, and the kidnappers demanded about ₦300 million. I told them I was not going to pay a dime. If they wanted to kill them, they could go ahead,” he said.
According to the governor, his brothers were eventually released without any ransom being paid.
