Youth Council Warns: Ransom Payments Are the Oxygen of Banditry Sustaining Terrorism
Kaduna: The Northern Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) has issued a bold call for the urgent criminalisation and strict enforcement of laws against ransom payments, insisting that such measures are critical to breaking the cycle of kidnappings ravaging the country.
In an open letter dated January 3, 2026, NYCN National President Isah Abubakar addressed the National Security Adviser (NSA), the Minister of Defence, the Chief of Defence Staff, Service Chiefs, and the Inspector-General of Police.
He said the appeal was made on behalf of millions of Northern youths who continue to bear the brunt of insecurity across communities.
Abubakar warned that despite the sacrifices of Nigeria’s security forces, kidnapping remains a lucrative enterprise because ransom payments by desperate families and corporate bodies sustain the industry.
“Ransom payments are the oxygen of banditry. Every payment enables criminals to buy weapons, fund logistics, and recruit more fighters. Paying ransom inadvertently subsidises terrorism and national destruction,” he declared.
Consequently, the NYCN urged authorities to immediately gazette and publicise existing legal frameworks criminalising ransom payments, stressing that laws must not remain on paper but be enforced without fear or favour.
Abubakar argued that only decisive action can dismantle the demand-and-supply chain that fuels abductions.
He proposed intelligence-led rescue operations using drones, signal interceptors, and rapid response teams, insisting that advanced technology should replace financial negotiations in securing the release of victims.
Abubakar criticised companies that quietly pay ransoms, urging them instead to invest in private security partnerships and state-led protection schemes. He called for corporate accountability, warning that ransom payments by organisations create a wider public catastrophe.
Acknowledging the emotional trauma families face when loved ones are abducted, Abubakar nonetheless appealed to Nigerians to collectively refuse to enrich criminals.
“History will judge Nigeria by the courage shown in 2026 to end the marketplace of human misery,” he said.
The NYCN pledged readiness to partner with the NSA in sensitising grassroots communities against ransom payments, while calling for criminal liability against families, organisations, and associations that negotiate or pay ransoms.
TheDiggerNews notes that the youth council’s intervention comes amid rising concerns that ransom payments have entrenched kidnapping as one of Nigeria’s most profitable criminal enterprises.By framing ransom as a national security threat rather than a private negotiation, the NYCN has placed the issue squarely at the heart of Nigeria’s fight against terrorism and banditry.
