Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal says he will never negotiate with or pay ransom to kidnappers, citing his personal experience when his brothers were abducted in 2019.
According to Punch on Thursday, July 9, 2026, Lawal said kidnappers demanded ₦300 million for the release of his brothers, but he refused to pay.
“My own brothers were kidnapped in 2019, and these criminals were demanding about ₦300 million. I said, ‘I’m not going to pay a dime. If you like, go and kill them,'” the governor said.
Lawal disclosed that his brothers were released after spending three months in captivity without any ransom being paid.
He maintained that paying ransom only encourages criminal groups to continue abducting more victims, reiterating his administration’s policy of refusing to negotiate with kidnappers or other criminals.
