Falana Urges Kidnap Victims to Sue FG, Demand Ransom Refund

***As Nigerians Lose N2.23 Trillion to Kidnappers in One Year

Human rights lawyer Femi Falana, SAN, has issued a bold call to Nigerians who have paid ransom to kidnappers: take the Federal Government to court and demand a refund for its failure to protect citizens.
Speaking at the opening of the Legal Year of the Faculty of Law, University of Abuja, Falana argued that ransom payments—now running into trillions—are the direct result of the government’s dereliction of its constitutional duty to safeguard lives.
According to him, both the Nigerian Constitution and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights make it clear that the state is legally obligated to ensure citizens’ safety. When it fails, he said, victims have a right to seek redress.
Falana faulted what he described as a “two-tier security system” in Nigeria, where the state acts swiftly when high-ranking officials or politically exposed persons are abducted but abandons ordinary citizens to negotiate with criminals on their own.
“If a judge, minister or ex-minister is kidnapped, the government orders immediate rescue. But for ordinary Nigerians, the family must scramble for ransom. Since all citizens are equal before the law, victims are entitled to go to court and demand the government refund the ransom,” he said.
His comments come amid alarming new data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), which paints a grim picture of the booming kidnap-for-ransom industry.
The Crime Experience and Security Perception Survey (CESPS) 2024 reveals that between May 2023 and April 2024, Nigerians paid N2.23 trillion in ransom to kidnappers. Over 2.2 million kidnapping incidents were estimated within the period, with an average ransom payment of N2.7 million per victim.
Security analysts warn that kidnapping has evolved into a fully organised criminal economy—powered by weak policing, porous borders, and a lack of political will.
Falana insisted that beyond demanding refunds, legal action would force the government to finally confront a crisis that has devastated families nationwide.
“It is the duty of the government to protect every life. If that life is threatened or taken, the government must pay for it,” he declared.
As kidnapping intensifies across states, Falana’s proposition could ignite a landmark legal and political showdown over the state’s responsibility in an era of rampant insecurity.