The Nigerian Police Force has said crowdfunding on social media to pay ransom for kidnapped loved ones is a criminal activity that is frowned on by the presidency.
“It is criminal, it is not allowed. It is condemned. Even the federal government condemned the act. Crowdfunding is not allowed,” force public relations officer Muyiwa Adejobi said during a Channels TV appearance Thursday.
Mr Adejobi said sourcing for money to secure the release of victims of kidnap weakens the morale of the police force, kills the system, and allows the perpetrators to collect gain in their criminal enterprise.
“How can you come on social media and be telling people to gather money to go and rescue victims? It kills our morals; it kills the system.
“We should not encourage that. The more we encourage payment of ransom, it makes that dirty business lucrative,” he said.
Mr Adejobi’s position follows that of other senior officials of the President Bola Tinubu administration, including defence minister Abubakar Badaru and FCT minister Nyesom Wike, who have repeatedly emphasised allowing law enforcement to handle cases of kidnap and abduction.
Their position is strengthened by the Terrorism (Prevention) Act 2013 (amended in 2022), section 14 of which says “anyone who transfers funds, makes payment or colludes with an abductor, kidnapper or terrorist to receive any ransom for the release of any person who has been wrongfully confined, imprisoned or kidnapped is guilty of a felony and is liable on conviction to a term of imprisonment of not less than 15 years.”
But Nigerians have not had many choices in recent months.
Six siblings were abducted alongside their father in January from their residence in Abuja. They demanded 60 million naira ransom after the eldest of the abducted siblings was killed because the payment was not made on time.
A security expert, Kabir Adamu, told Daily Post last week that ransom payment is a result of government’s failure in security.
“…That is why family members have to resort to paying that ransom because, in the first place, the protection the government should have given them to prevent their abduction did not happen.
“And then, after the abduction, the rescue effort, in terms of percentages, I think we have about less than 10 per cent of the successful rescue effort in Nigeria. So, the rest of the 90 per cent have no option other than either to negotiate for a ransom or other avenues before their loved ones are released,” he said.