Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, SAN, has advised Nigerians who have paid ransom to kidnappers to drag the Federal Government to court and demand a refund, insisting that the state had failed in its constitutional duty to protect them.
Falana, who spoke at the opening of the Legal Year of the Faculty of Law, Yakubu Gowon University, Abuja, argued that the persistent rise in kidnapping across the country amounted to a breach of the government’s obligation to safeguard lives as guaranteed by the Nigerian Constitution and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
He faulted what he described as a “class-based response” to abductions, noting that authorities act swiftly when high-ranking individuals were kidnapped but left ordinary citizens at the mercy of criminals.
According to him, seeking a refund through the courts will not only enforce victims’ rights but also pressure the government to strengthen security measures.
Meanwhile, new data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed that Nigerians paid N2.23 trillion in ransom between May 2023 and April 2024. The Crime Experience and Security Perception Survey (CESPS) 2024 estimated over 2.2 million kidnapping incidents during the period, with an average of N2.7 million paid per victim.
Security analysts warned that kidnapping has now become a thriving criminal enterprise, demanding urgent and coordinated government action.
