Payment of ransom: Between the devil and the deep blue sea

BY JONATHAN NDA-ISAIAH

Kaduna state governor, Nasir El- Rufai, is presently between a rock and a hard place. After announcing recently that his state will not pay ransoms or negotiate with bandits, the outlaws have hit the state with successive attacks and abductions to prove a point to the governor.

Recently, gunmen kidnapped at least 30 students at the Federal College of Forestry Mechanization, Afaka, in the Igabi local government area of Kaduna state. In a separate incident, three teachers were abducted in Kaduna by attackers who stormed Rema Primary School, in the Birnin Gwari.

Even after the barrage of attacks from the bandits, Governor El-Rufai told Al-Jazeera that: “It’s a principle stand, we do not pay ransom, we will not negotiate with criminals, we will not negotiate with bandits. “The fact that you are carrying an AK-47 does not give you the platform to negotiate because if we do that then we’ll have to negotiate with every criminal in Nigeria, and grant him or her amnesty. The kidnappers were told “not a penny” will be given by the government. They are waiting, hoping that something will come. We are involved in a waiting game, we’ll have to wait and see how things play out.”

However, on Monday parents of the kidnapped Foresty school students protested, demanding the release of their children. It’s a sad situation.

El-Rufai must be in a dilemma right now. Should he bend backward to negotiate with the bandits or stick to his earlier vow not to negotiate with bandits? We all know when it comes to sticking to his convictions, the Kaduna state governor is as tough as a nail.

Indeed, it is easier saying it from the outside that the state government should not negotiate with bandits, but if your child or relative is kidnapped, you will move heaven and earth to secure the release of your child. I have also heard arguments that if El- Rufai’s children were among the students kidnapped, will he stick to his guns of not negotiating or paying ransoms to the bandits?

Come to think of it, if you were a governor, will you pay ransom to the bandits to enable them to buy more weapons to carry out more abductions or are you ready to call their bluff and not pay ransoms? It’s a catch 22 situation.

It’s also no secret that most countries have made it a state policy not to negotiate with terrorists but it still doesn’t change the fact that some countries sometimes use back door channels to negotiate with terrorists.

Besides, where is the amnesty-in-chief campaigner, Sheik Abubakar Gumi, in all this? He should use his clout to secure the release of these students to prove to us that the bandits are really repentant.

Subsequently, I strongly believe this where our security forces should come in. We need to equip our security forces to forestall incidences of school abductions. The security agencies should invest more in technology to monitor our schools and highways. We also need to embark on a massive clear-out of our forests as they have gradually turned into a habitat of bandits and terrorists. The time to act is now.

Nda-Isaiah, political director of Leadership Newspaper Group, can be reached via 08061573299, 08054518774