Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, has reiterated his opposition to negotiating with bandits, saying ransom payments provide criminals with resources to acquire sophisticated weapons and sustain kidnapping operations.
Lawal stated this during a media chat, where he maintained that his position against negotiating with bandits had remained unchanged since assuming office. According to him, kidnapping has increasingly become a business for criminal groups, with ransom payments helping to finance their activities.
The governor also recounted the abduction of his two brothers, saying the kidnappers demanded N300 million for each of them. He said he refused to pay the ransom despite the personal circumstances, insisting that he would not give money to criminals to enable them to carry out further attacks.
Lawal argued that previous attempts by authorities to negotiate with bandits had failed to produce lasting results. He explained that the groups were not operating under a single leadership structure, making it difficult to reach agreements that would apply across different factions.
He said negotiating with one group could also prompt another group to intensify attacks in an attempt to gain recognition or attract similar concessions.
The governor maintained that rather than financing criminal groups through ransom payments, efforts should focus on strengthening security operations and finding lasting solutions to banditry in Zamfara State.
