Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Femi Falana, has urged the Federal Government to reimburse families who were forced to pay ransoms to secure the release of abducted loved ones, accusing the authorities of applying double standards in their response to kidnappings.
Speaking on November 13, 2025, during the Law Week of the University of Abuja’s Law Students Association, Falana described kidnapping in Nigeria as a national emergency, noting that farmers, students, worshippers, and rural dwellers remain frequent targets.
He argued that while the government responds swiftly when elites such as judges or former officials are abducted—often deploying security agents and, in some cases, paying ransom—ordinary citizens are left to negotiate with armed criminals on their own.
Falana condemned this disparity as both a moral failing and a breach of constitutional duty, citing Sections 14(2)(b) and 33(1) of the 1999 Constitution, which mandate the state to protect all citizens equally.
According to him, families who pay ransom under duress deserve refunds as recognition of the government’s failure to provide security, adding that such restitution could help discourage further kidnappings.
He also alleged that despite official denials, both federal and state governments have, at times, secretly paid ransom for certain high-profile victims, while security agencies often know about or even participate in ransom negotiations involving ordinary citizens.
Falana criticised systemic weaknesses in Nigeria’s security apparatus—ranging from corruption to lack of enforcement—as major drivers of the ongoing crises of banditry, terrorism, and herder-farmer clashes. He demanded the immediate prosecution of kidnapping suspects, full implementation of anti-open-grazing laws, and a shift in security priorities to protect all citizens, regardless of class or location.
He stressed that every incident of terrorism, communal violence, or police brutality must be investigated thoroughly, insisting that the state cannot rank victims based on status. Failure to properly investigate or prosecute such cases, he said, amounts to state complicity.
Drawing from international human rights principles and ECOWAS Court rulings, Falana maintained that the government is legally and morally obligated to safeguard lives and respond decisively to threats. He warned that continued failure to do so only emboldens criminals and undermines public trust.
Falana also criticised state-level negotiations and amnesty deals with armed groups, calling them dangerous, counterproductive, and inconsistent with national policy. He further faulted the non-enforcement of open grazing bans, which he said continues to worsen violence in rural areas.
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