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Proffers suggestions on way out
By Lateef Ibrahim, Abuja
The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has suggested to the Federal Government to direct the immediate stoppage of payment of ransoms by governments and individuals, by fully implementing the provisions of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act 2022.
The party made the suggestion in a statement on Tuesday by its National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Ini Ememobong in Abuja.
The statement was in reactions to the recent reports carried by credible international and local media platforms confirming the widely speculated payment of ransom by the Federal Government to secure the release of kidnapped victims in Niger, Kebbi, Kwara, etc., are deeply troubling.
The PDP similarly harped on the need for the government to aggressively track illicit financial flows to criminal organisations and task the Multi-Agency Kidnap Fusion Cell established in December 2024, to deliver on its mandate by curbing kidnapping to an infinitesimal level.
The opposition party urged the Federal Government to, honestly, clear the air on the allegations that a “huge ransom, running into millions of dollars,” has been paid at different times to kidnappers to secure the release of kidnap victims, especially those of St. Mary’s School in Niger State.
Furthermore, the PDP tasked the Federal Government to immediately take strategic, not performative steps to sustainably solve the issue of insecurity in the country.
The statement by Ememobong reads, “The recent reports carried by credible international and local media platforms confirming the widely speculated payment of ransom by the Federal Government to secure the release of kidnapped victims in Niger, Kebbi, Kwara, etc., are deeply troubling.
“These revelations trail the visit and engagement of the United States Assistant Secretary of the Treasury, Jonathan Burke, with top Nigerian security and finance officials in a bid to disrupt illicit financial flows linked to extremist groups.
“This recent revelation is not only shameful and unfortunate, but also a sad confirmation of the National Bureau of Statistics’ Crime Experience and Security Perception Survey 2024, which declared that ransom payment has reached a staggering trillion-naira economy (N2.3 trillion paid in ransom between May 2023 and April 2024), and that 2,235,954 people have been kidnapped under the watch of the Bola Tinubu-led APC Federal Government.
“When juxtaposed with the delayed and partial release of budgetary security funds and the ad hoc approach to security under this administration, it is clear why stories of superior weaponry in the possession of criminal non-state actors have persisted and why the war against terrorism has remained unwon.
“It is standard practice globally, that governments do not pay ransom, because such payments are counterproductive. Rather than assuaging criminals, ransom payments fuel their operations and make tackling them even harder.
“Under the present administration, several persons have publicly alleged that the Federal and State Governments have been negotiating with different criminal groups and paying ransom, an allegation which the Federal Government has repeatedly denied.
“It is the height of hypocrisy that a government that enacted the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act 2022 which criminalised paying ransom is itself accused of paying millions of dollars in ransom from the public treasury”, it said.
The party noted, sadly, that under the Tinubu/APC Government, Nigeria has earned infamous positions on major global crime and violence tracking reports as follows:
* 11th most dangerous country to visit in the world (Numbeo Index 2025)
* 147th least peaceful country out of 163 countries (Global Peace Index 2025)
* 142nd out of 143 countries on the rule of law matrix (World Justice Project Rule of Law Index 2025)
* 6th most affected country in the world by terrorism (Global Terrorism Index 2025)
* 8th country in the world with the highest level of organised crime, with a criminality score of 7.32 out of 10 (Organized Crime Index 2025).
Continuing, the PDP said, “Unfortunately, it has become obvious that this administration is grossly incapable and incompetent in effectively fighting insecurity and is instead normalising insecurity to the detriment of Nigerians.
“To this end, we suggest that the Federal Government should direct the immediate stoppage of payment of ransoms by governments and individuals, by fully implementing the provisions of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act 2022.
“Additionally, the government should aggressively track illicit financial flows to criminal organisations and task the Multi-Agency Kidnap Fusion Cell established in December 2024, to deliver on its mandate by curbing kidnapping to an infinitesimal level. “We urge the Federal Government to honestly clear the air on the allegations that a “huge ransom, running into millions of dollars,” has been paid at different times to kidnappers to secure the release of kidnap victims, especially those of St. Mary’s School in Niger State.
“Furthermore, we task the Federal Government to immediately take strategic, not performative steps to sustainably solve the issue of insecurity in the country.
“Nigerians deserve a government that matches its legislative ambitions with operational commitment-sadly, this administration has failed elegantly in both”, the statement concluded.
