SALIU SALIU
WIFE of Kaduna State Governor, Asia El-Rufai, has said there is a need for sacrifice on the part of Nigerians to end banditry and kidnapping.
She said as long as victims’ families continued to pay ransom, banditry would continue, adding that no one should pay ransom to rescue her if she is kidnapped.
The Governor’s wife made this position public on Wednesday in Kaduna, while addressing participants of a peace and security training, organised by Equal Access International (EAI) for Kaduna women.
Country Director, EAI, Maaji Peters, said the training was aimed at securing Nigerian communities through the creation of Civilian Security.
Mrs El-Rufai said, “We must sacrifice to bring this to an end. I am ready to die in the hands of kidnappers if it will bring peace to this country.
“For as long as you continue to pay ransom, it is like you are adding kerosene to fire. you are giving bandits, kidnappers money for ammunition to continue to haunt you. We should not pay ransom. This is my personal opinion.
“I have said it before and I will say it again, if I am kidnapped don’t pay any ransom. rather pray for me that if it is death, I go in a good way and if I am going to be released that I am not violated.
“As long as we are giving them the money and they hurt people around, they will not change. Collectively as a country, we have to say no. We cannot continue to give them our hard earned money to buy weapons and drugs to kill and maim our children. If we don’t put a stop to this, they will destroy us all. They will even kidnap the person that takes the ransom to them.”
“You will see that some of them, you even give them the ransom and they still kill the person. So you have lost twice,” she stressed.
