By Oso Abidemi
Human rights lawyer Femi Falana, SAN, has urged Nigerians who paid ransom to kidnappers to sue the Federal Government and demand a refund, insisting that the state has failed in its constitutional duty to protect citizens.
Speaking at the opening of the Legal Year of the University of Abuja’s Faculty of Law, Falana said the government cannot claim to uphold the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights while ordinary Nigerians continue to bear the cost of their own safety.
He criticised the government’s selective response to abductions, noting that swift rescue efforts are mobilised when judges or top officials are kidnapped, while ordinary citizens are left at the mercy of criminals.
Falana argued that demanding refunds through the courts would not only enforce victims’ rights but also compel the government to prioritise security.
His remarks come amid alarming statistics from the National Bureau of Statistics, which reported that Nigerians paid N2.23 trillion in ransom between May 2023 and April 2024.
The NBS survey estimated over 2.2 million kidnapping incidents within the period, with an average ransom of N2.7 million per case.
Falana maintained that all citizens are equal before the law and deserve equal protection, urging the government to treat every kidnapping case with urgency and seriousness.
