I Will Not Pay A Dime – Zamfara Governor Reveals ₦600m Ransom Demand For Kidnapped Brothers

Dauda Lawal The Zamfara State Governor has reaffirmed his opposition to negotiating with bandits, insisting that ransom payments encourage criminals to acquire sophisticated weapons and continue kidnapping innocent people.

Naija News reports that the governor said this in an interview with the Nigerian Tribune on Saturday.

He maintained that his position against negotiating with bandits had remained unchanged, arguing that the payment of ransom had turned kidnapping into a profitable business.

“My stand has always been no negotiation with the bandits, from day one. And I still maintain that stand,” he said.

The governor explained that money paid to secure the release of kidnapped victims could be used by criminals to purchase more weapons and carry out further attacks.

According to him, continued ransom payments give bandits the financial resources to sustain their criminal activities.

“Kidnapping people and asking for ransom is empowering the bandits. For every naira that you pay, that is what they use to acquire sophisticated weapons,” he said.

He questioned how the criminals would obtain such weapons if they were unable to collect ransom money from their victims’ families.

The governor also revealed that he had personally faced the situation in 2025 when two of his biological brothers were kidnapped by bandits.

He disclosed that the kidnappers demanded ₦300 million for each of his brothers, bringing the total ransom demand to ₦600 million.

Despite the huge demand, he said he refused to pay the money, insisting that he would not provide criminals with funds to continue their activities.

“It happened to me in 2025, when two of my blood brothers were kidnapped. The first thing they asked for was a ransom of ₦300 million per person. I said I was not going to pay a dime,” he said.

The governor explained that the kidnappers had gone to his brothers’ homes and taken them away, questioning why he should pay money to secure their freedom.

“You already have these people under your custody. You came to pick them yourselves. They did not go there. They even came to their houses and picked them. And you expect me to pay money to secure their freedom? I said no. I will not do that,” he stated.

He said he remained determined not to pay ransom, even when the lives of his family members were at risk.

“I am a very strong believer that if they are meant to die within that period, they will die. Nobody will do anything. But I will not give my money to a criminal and empower him to do more,” the governor added.

The Zamfara governor also questioned the effectiveness of the previous administration’s negotiations with bandits, arguing the approach failed to produce positive results.

“Secondly, if you look at the history of all the negotiations that took place under the previous administration, did they yield any positive results? The answer is no,” he said.

He further explained that bandit groups were not organised under a single leadership, making it difficult to reach agreements that all groups would respect.

According to him, negotiating with one group could provoke another to attack to prove it also deserved recognition.

“Remember, these people are not organized. If you decide to negotiate with A, another person will feel that you are underrating him. He will show you that he is also somebody to recognise. So, how do you negotiate with these kinds of people?” he asked.

The governor added that the lack of central leadership among bandit groups made it difficult to hold them accountable for agreements reached during negotiations.

“Nobody takes responsibility. Nobody takes leadership. They operate in isolation,” he said.

Doris Ijeoma Israel is an entertainment journalist and a graduate of the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Lagos. She covers stories in film, music, and celebrity culture. Contact her via [email protected]

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