Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin “Ben” Kalu, has proposed a new legislative measure to criminalize and penalize government officials who negotiate ransom payments with kidnappers. The move comes as part of his broader national security agenda to curb Nigeria’s worsening abduction crisis.
Speaking during a special parliamentary session on national security, Kalu said ransom negotiation by state officials fuels insecurity and undermines formal criminal justice processes. He announced plans for a legislative framework within the next six months to prohibit any unstructured amnesty deals and mandate criminal justice procedures for handling banditry.
“We must legally prohibit ransom negotiations and hold government officials accountable,” Kalu stated. “There must be criminal penalties for any official caught negotiating ransom or authorising unstructured amnesty programmes.”
Under his proposal, anyone in government who is found to have mediated ransom payments could face prosecution through the regular criminal justice system. Kalu also called for mandatory prosecution for all suspects linked to banditry, removing what he described as “soft options” that currently allow for ad hoc negotiations.
He further urged modernization of policing in Nigeria, including speeding up the creation of state or local police forces and equipping officers with modern tools and training.
Kalu argued the measure would reduce the profitability of kidnapping by cutting off government as a source of ransom payment, making the business less attractive to criminal networks. He also believes it will force a stronger reliance on law enforcement rather than informal or illegal negotiations.
- Accountability: By criminalizing ransom negotiation, the bill seeks to hold officials personally responsible for any deal-making with kidnappers.
- Rule of Law: It aims to shift the response to kidnapping from ad-hoc payments to structured prosecution, strengthening legal and deterrent frameworks.
- Insecurity Response: The proposal aligns with broader efforts to reform Nigeria’s security architecture, especially against the backdrop of rising mass abductions.
- Public Trust: If passed, the measure could restore citizens’ confidence in how the government handles complex security challenges signaling that public officials are not complicit in ransom payments.
At this early stage, the proposal has not yet been translated into a full bill before the National Assembly. Kalu said the legislative process will begin soon, with the first phase focused on “anti-banditry resolution” and legal reforms around ransom and amnesty policy.
Analysts have broadly welcomed the idea, describing it as a bold step toward reducing kidnapping profitability. However, some security watchers warn that enforcement could be difficult, especially in remote areas where state presence is weak.
There’s also debate over how such laws would interact with existing or future amnesty policies and whether criminalizing negotiation could make certain informal peacemaking efforts impossible.
