Prominent human rights lawyer Femi Falana SAN has made a groundbreaking call for Nigerians who have paid ransom to kidnappers to take legal action against the Federal Government and demand full refunds.
Constitutional Duty to Protect Citizens
The senior advocate made this bold declaration during his address at the opening of the Legal Year of the Faculty of Law, University of Abuja. Falana firmly stated that the government bears constitutional responsibility for protecting citizens' lives and security.
Citing both the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights and the Nigerian Constitution, the legal luminary argued that the state's failure to curb the escalating kidnapping crisis represents a fundamental breach of its constitutional obligations.
Staggering N2.23 Trillion Ransom Payments
The call comes amid shocking revelations from the National Bureau of Statistics, which reported that Nigerians paid a colossal N2.23 trillion as ransom to kidnappers between May 2023 and April 2024.
According to the NBS Crime Experience and Security Perception Survey 2024, the country recorded over 2.2 million kidnapping incidents during this 12-month period, with the average ransom payment standing at N2.7 million per incident.
Security experts have expressed grave concern that kidnapping has transformed into a highly organized and lucrative criminal enterprise across Nigeria, exploiting the government's apparent inability to provide adequate security for ordinary citizens.
Class Discrimination in Security Response
Falana highlighted what he described as a disturbing class dimension in the government's approach to kidnapping cases. He noted that when high-profile individuals such as judges, ministers, or former ministers are abducted, security forces receive immediate orders for rescue operations.
However, he lamented that ordinary Nigerians are left completely at the mercy of criminals, with their families forced to scramble for funds to secure their release. "Since citizens are equal before the law, you must treat all Nigerians equally," Falana emphasized during his address.
The human rights lawyer maintained that demanding refunds through legal channels would not only assert victims' rights but also compel the government to take its security responsibilities more seriously, potentially leading to improved safety measures for all citizens.
Falana's proposition represents a significant shift in addressing the kidnapping epidemic, moving the financial burden of security failures from victims back to the government institutions constitutionally mandated to provide protection.
