Kidnapping Crisis: PDP demands end to ransom payments, faults FG’s security strategy

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called on the Federal Government to immediately halt the payment of ransoms to criminal groups and adopt tougher, more coordinated measures to stem the growing tide of kidnappings across the country.

In a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, the opposition party expressed alarm over reports alleging that trillions of naira have been paid to kidnappers under the administration of Bola Tinubu.

The PDP’s reaction followed a report published on Monday by Agence France-Presse, which cited three intelligence sources as claiming that the government paid a substantial ransom to secure the release of students abducted from St. Mary’s Boarding School in Niger State. The report alleged that between N2 billion in total and as much as N40 million per student—estimated at about $7 million—was paid, with the cash reportedly delivered by helicopter to a Boko Haram commander in Gwoza, Borno State.

The Federal Government, however, swiftly rejected the claims. In a statement on Tuesday, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, dismissed the allegations as “completely false and baseless,” insisting that the reports sought to undermine the credibility of Nigeria’s security agencies.

“While we respect the freedom of the press, we firmly reject a narrative built on shadowy, unnamed sources seeking to undermine the credibility of a sovereign government acting within its laws. For the avoidance of doubt, no ransom was paid, and no militant commanders were freed,” the statement said.

Despite the government’s denial, the PDP warned that the payment of ransom only emboldens criminal networks and worsens insecurity nationwide.

The party stated, “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 payments have 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.

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“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.”

The PDP further argued that globally, governments avoid paying ransom because it strengthens criminal organisations and complicates efforts to dismantle them.

It added, “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.

“Sadly, under the Tinubu/APC Government, Nigeria has earned infamous positions on major global crime and violence tracking reports: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).

“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.”

The opposition party urged the Federal Government to intensify efforts to trace and block illicit financial flows and to strengthen the Multi-Agency Kidnap Fusion Cell as part of urgent steps to drastically reduce kidnapping incidents across Nigeria.

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