The Peoples Democratic Party has called on the Federal Government to immediately halt all ransom payments and take decisive action to curb the rising wave of kidnappings across Nigeria.
PDP, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, raised alarm over reports that trillions of naira have allegedly been paid to criminal groups under the President Bola Tinubu-led administration.
On Monday, a report by Agence France-Presse, citing three intelligence sources, claimed that the government allegedly paid a substantial ransom—ranging from N2 billion in total to as much as N40 million per individual (around $7 million)—to secure the release of students abducted from St. Mary’s Boarding School in Niger State.
The report stated that the ransom was reportedly delivered in cash by helicopter to a Boko Haram commander in Gwoza, Borno State.
In response, the Federal Government, through the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, on Tuesday dismissed the allegations as “completely false and baseless,” asserting that the reports undermine the professionalism and integrity of Nigeria’s security forces.
“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.
Meanwhile, the PDP warned that paying ransoms only encourages kidnappers and exacerbates the country’s security challenges.
The statement read, “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.
“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 stated that, globally, governments avoid paying ransom, as such payments only empower criminals and make combating them more difficult.
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.”
PDP urged the government to track illicit funds and empower the Multi-Agency Kidnap Fusion Cell to drastically reduce kidnappings.
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