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Falana Asks Kidnap Victims To Sue FG, Demand Refund Of Ransom Payments
Senior Advocate of Nigeria Femi Falana has urged citizens who paid ransom to kidnappers to take the Federal Government to court and demand full refunds, insisting that the state is legally bound to protect every Nigerian without discrimination.
Falana made the call at the opening of the Legal Year of the Faculty of Law, University of Abuja, where he condemned what he described as a pattern of “selective urgency” in the government’s response to abduction cases.
He argued that the Constitution and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights place clear responsibility on the state to safeguard lives, adding that families should not be forced to negotiate or fund their own rescue.
“I have suggested that citizens who are abducted by bandits or kidnappers, and whose family members are compelled to pay ransom to rescue them, as far as I’m concerned, have the right to go to court and say the government must refund the ransom,” he said.
He added, “Because it is the duty of the government to protect every life. If that life is threatened or taken, the government must pay for it.”
Falana highlighted what he called a “class dimension” in the government’s handling of abductions. According to him, security agencies act swiftly when judges, ministers, or former officials are kidnapped, while ordinary Nigerians are left to fend for themselves.
“But when it comes to ordinary Nigerians, you are at the mercy of the criminals. Your family members will be running from pillar to post to look for money to rescue you. And I’m saying since citizens are equal before the law, you must treat all Nigerians equally,” he said.
