- Ransom payments fuel terrorism — experts warn FG
- Secret payments encourage insecurity, not peace
- State police seen as long-term solution
- Grassroots intelligence critical to defeating insurgency
Security experts and key stakeholders have urged the Federal Government to criminalise ransom payments to terrorists, warning that the practice is undermining Nigeria’s fight against insurgency and worsening insecurity across the country.
Security analysts and retired law enforcement officers have described the payment of ransom to terrorists as the biggest betrayal of Nigeria’s anti-insurgency efforts, insisting that the practice emboldens criminal groups and sustains violence.
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The experts spoke on Boiling Point, a current affairs programme aired across six radio stations and powered by the National Association of Seadogs (Pyrates Confraternity), Ash Montana Deck.
A retired US Army Major, Yinka Ogunsanya, condemned both private and alleged government ransom payments, saying such actions only strengthen terrorist networks.
“Government ransom payment is what is empowering the terrorists and further deepening insecurity. Paying criminals is a betrayal of the anti-insurgency war,” Ogunsanya said.
While supporting the creation of state police in Nigeria, Ogunsanya cautioned against copying the American policing system without proper adaptation. He explained that policing in the United States operates through several coordinated layers — including state police, county police, sheriffs, and rangers — all backed by strong intelligence frameworks.
He urged the Federal Government and state authorities to engage local communities in designing a home-grown policing model that prioritises intelligence from the grassroots.
“Nigeria must adopt intelligence-led, localised operations while maintaining federal oversight of cross-border crimes. Proximity is the biggest advantage of local policing,” he noted.
According to him, state police would ensure faster response times, improved intelligence gathering, and deeper community trust, as officers would better understand local languages, culture, and historical grievances.
Also speaking, a retired Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Leye Oyebade, backed state policing but warned that critical issues must be addressed before implementation.
Oyebade listed community participation, patriotism, intelligence sharing, trust, and manpower development as essential pillars for success. He traced Nigeria’s policing challenges to a weak foundation, tribal bias, poor training, limited personnel, and rapidly evolving crime driven by technology.
However, he acknowledged fears that state police could be politicised.
“Those concerns are real, especially when a state falls into the wrong hands. Without safeguards, state police could be misused,” Oyebade cautioned.
