NSA Warns Against Ransom Payments
On April 8, 2025, Nigeria’s National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, delivered a bombshell directive at a high-stakes security briefing in Abuja, urging citizens to cease paying ransoms to kidnappers, bandits, and terrorists. Labeling such payments as “fuel for insecurity,” Ribadu tied the practice to recent atrocities—like the April 2 massacre of 52 in Plateau State—and vowed a relentless pursuit of justice over negotiations. With over 3,600 abductions in 2024 and public desperation at a breaking point, this warning signals a seismic shift in Nigeria’s battle against its spiraling crime wave as of April 9, 2025.
Ribadu’s Red Line: “No More Cash for Criminals”
Addressing security chiefs and reporters at the Presidential Villa, Ribadu minced no words. “Every ransom paid buys more guns, more bloodshed,” he declared, per Vanguard. He pointed to the N5 billion funneled to criminals annually—per estimates from Lagos-based SBM Intelligence—as the lifeblood of groups behind mass abductions and killings. Fresh off his April 6 vow in Jos to end Plateau’s violence, Ribadu doubled down: “Justice, not money, will answer these crimes,” he said, according to Leadership. The directive aims to choke the financial pipeline sustaining Nigeria’s terror networks, but it’s a gamble with human lives in the balance.
A Nation Under Siege: The Kidnapping Epidemic
Kidnapping has morphed into Nigeria’s grim cottage industry. The Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) logged 3,641 abductions in 2024, from the 280 schoolchildren snatched in Kaduna in March to the 60 seized in Zamfara last week after bandits avenged their kingpins’ deaths. In Kebbi, 16 were slaughtered by ‘Lakurawa’ terrorists days ago, per Daily Trust. Families, often left to fend for themselves, scrape together millions—sometimes via WhatsApp pleas—because police rescues falter. “I sold everything for my son,” said Kano trader Halima Sani, who paid N3 million in 2023, speaking to Punch. Ribadu’s call confronts this stark reality head-on.
Cracking Down: Ribadu’s Plan in Motion
Ribadu unveiled a three-pronged strategy: ramped-up military operations, sharper intelligence, and legal hammers. “Paying ransom is complicity,” he warned, hinting at prosecutions under the Terrorism (Prevention) Act, per New Telegraph. The Nigerian Army, cited by PRNigeria, has surged troops to hotspots—Plateau arrests this week nabbed 12 suspects and AK-47s—while DSS tracks ransom brokers. X posts under #NSARansomBan (50,000 by April 9, 11 PM PDT) buzzed with reactions: @SecurityNG cheered “bold moves,” but @MamaZaria asked, “Who saves my kids now?” Enforcement’s the rub—stopping desperate families without viable alternatives is a steep climb.
Voices of Pain: A Public Torn Apart
The directive’s ripple effects are raw. In Bokkos, Plateau, survivor Maryam Dung told Daily Trust she’d have paid anything to save her brother—burned alive on April 2. “Talk is cheap when it’s not your family,” she said. In Lagos, protests flared April 9 over fuel prices, with some chanting “Fix security first!”—tying Ribadu’s stance to broader woes like Trump’s 14% tariffs. Security expert Dr. Kabir Adamu, quoted by Punch, estimated a 30% drop in banditry if ransoms dry up, but warned, “Without rescues, defiance means death.” On X, #EndKidnapping hit 60,000 posts, blending support with anguish.
High Stakes, Higher Risks: Nigeria’s Security Crossroads
Ribadu framed this as a national call to arms: “Starve the beasts, save our future,” per NewsWireNGR. With 1,820 displaced in Plateau and economic pressures mounting—N950/litre petrol, forex bleeding—unreliable security could tip Nigeria over the edge. The NSA cited 1,978 terror convictions since 2023 as proof of resolve, per Leadership, but critics note convictions rarely dent abductions. President Tinubu, via aide Bayo Onanuga, backed Ribadu, promising “all resources” to end the scourge. As families weigh love against law, Ribadu’s warning tests Nigeria’s will—can it outlast the criminals, or will desperation prevail?
