Ibadan: A firm declaration by Oyo State House of Assembly Speaker, Adebo Ogundoyin, that the government should not negotiate with the abductors of students and teachers from Oriire Local Government Area has triggered a sharp debate among legal experts, security analysts, academics and political stakeholders.
As anxiety deepens among families awaiting the return of their loved ones, opinions remain divided over whether the state should adopt a hardline security approach or pursue negotiations to secure the victims’ freedom.
The controversy follows Ogundoyin’s insistence on Wednesday that the government must resist pressure to bargain with the kidnappers despite reports that the armed group demanded N1 billion, two buses and the release of detained accomplices as conditions for freeing the captives.
The Speaker argued that yielding to such demands would embolden criminal groups, encourage future abductions and further weaken public confidence in the state’s ability to guarantee security.
While acknowledging the anguish of affected families, he urged residents to support ongoing rescue operations by security agencies, stressing that intelligence-driven missions and coordinated security efforts remained the safest path to securing the victims’ release.
His comments, however, have ignited a broader conversation about Nigeria’s worsening kidnapping crisis and the difficult choices governments face when innocent lives hang in the balance.
Paying Ransom Only Funds More Crime
Among those backing the Speaker’s position is legal practitioner and political analyst, Oluwatobi Fatoki, who described the kidnappers’ demands as an affront to the authority of the Nigerian state.
According to him, any decision to negotiate or pay ransom would amount to rewarding criminality and financing future attacks.
“It is a slap on the face of a sovereign nation for kidnappers to dictate terms to a government whose constitutional responsibility is to protect lives and property,” he said.
Fatoki argued that ransom payments have historically strengthened criminal enterprises by providing resources for weapons procurement, recruitment and expansion of kidnapping operations.
“When you negotiate with kidnappers and comply with their demands, you are creating the conditions for more kidnappings. The money they collect is reinvested into the same criminal enterprise,” he said.
He called on government authorities to focus on dismantling criminal networks rather than funding them.
The lawyer also advocated greater exploration of indigenous security mechanisms and traditional intelligence systems, which he claimed had played effective roles in crime prevention and suspect apprehension in some communities.
Rather than spending enormous sums on ransom payments, he said, the government should invest in innovative security solutions capable of deterring criminal activities and improving intelligence gathering.
Saving Lives Must Come First
However, not everyone agrees with the Speaker’s uncompromising stance.
Professor Olawale Albert of the Department of Peace and Strategic Studies, University of Ibadan, cautioned against completely ruling out negotiations while victims remain in captivity.
According to the conflict-resolution expert, the immediate priority should be the safe return of the abducted students and teachers.
Albert warned that a purely military response could carry significant risks, especially when children are involved.
“The first objective must be to bring those children and their teachers back safely. A purely kinetic approach could lead to costly collateral damage,” he said.
He noted that modern security management often combines force with dialogue, intelligence operations and strategic negotiations depending on the circumstances.
While stressing that kidnappers must ultimately face justice, Albert maintained that securing the victims’ freedom should take precedence over broader policy considerations.
“Once the victims are safely released, the government can then explore other measures to deal decisively with the perpetrators,” he added.
Security Crisis Demands New Thinking
Adding another dimension to the debate, Professor Nelson Fashina, National Deputy Director of the Nigeria Forest Security Service (NFSS), said the country was confronting a security emergency that required more robust and coordinated responses.
Although he stopped short of endorsing negotiations, Fashina argued that existing strategies have not produced the desired results and called for stronger collaboration between formal security agencies and community-based security structures.
He stressed that addressing insecurity would require a combination of intelligence gathering, local participation and proactive intervention.
Families Want Results, Not Principles
For some observers, the Speaker’s position may reflect the distance between policymakers and those directly affected by the tragedy.
Oyo State Labour Party Secretary, Fatai Ojetunde, said families of the abducted victims would naturally support any lawful measure capable of securing the release of their loved ones.
According to him, public officials often view security crises differently from families enduring the trauma of uncertainty.
“Families whose children or relatives are in captivity will want every possible effort made to bring them home safely, including negotiation if necessary,” he said.
Ojetunde nevertheless acknowledged that the ransom reportedly demanded by the abductors was extraordinarily high and could prove difficult for any government to satisfy.
A Difficult Choice for Government
The debate highlights a dilemma that has confronted governments across Nigeria for years: whether to negotiate with kidnappers to save lives in the short term or refuse negotiations to discourage future abductions.
Supporters of the Speaker’s position argue that concessions only strengthen criminal networks and create incentives for more kidnappings.
Opponents contend that when innocent lives are at immediate risk, pragmatism must outweigh principle.
As security agencies intensify efforts to rescue the Oriire victims, the question remains unresolved: should the government stand firm against ransom demands, or should every available option be deployed to bring the captives home alive?
For the families waiting anxiously for news, the answer may ultimately be measured not in policy arguments, but in whether their loved ones return safely.
