From Umar Danladi Ado, Sokoto
Sokoto State Governor, Ahmad Aliyu has spoken on the security challenges facing the state, particularly the recent kidnappings.
Governor Aliyu said that since the time of former Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, there has been a setback in the fight against bandits, which has been ongoing.
Hon. Nasir Bazza, Special Assistant to Governor Ahmad Aliyu on Social Media, made this known on his X page on Wednesday.
“It must be noted that the military did not succeed in fighting bandits during Tambuwal’s time because they did not have the strength to launch attacks at the same time in all local government areas of the state.
If Tambuwal’s government had established a vigilante group, then Governor Ahmed Aliyu would have had something to work with but he didn’t find anything, so he had to start from scratch.
The governor’s aide said that governments around the world, not just Sokoto, do not pay ransom or negotiate with terrorists, because it would open a door that would be difficult to close.
“If the Sokoto government pays the ransom for the kidnapped district head, by the end of the year it would have paid billions in the name of rescuing people from bandits.
“Firstly, this would allow the bandits to use the money to buy more weapons, and it’s not certain that they would release those they have kidnapped after receiving the money,” he said.
Bazza continued, “If the state government pays the ransom for the kidnapped district head, it would be violating Nigeria’s 2023 Anti-Terrorism Act.
“The law prohibits states, families, or friends of those kidnapped from paying ransom to bandits. The law aims to address the problem of kidnapping and demanding ransom.”
The Sokoto State government did not pay ransom for kidnapped victims due to certain reasons, which may be related to the government’s policy or the laws of the land.
