Kidnapped Nigerians Left To Die As Poverty Cuts Off Means To Pay Ransom

Kidnapped Nigerians Left To Die As Poverty Cuts Off Means To Pay Ransom, Says Shariah Council Leader

Nigerian Islamic scholar and President of the Supreme Council for Shari’ah in Nigeria (SCSN), Dr. Bashir Aliyu Umar, has expressed deep concern over Nigeria’s worsening security situation, stating that kidnappings and abductions for ransom have degenerated into a horrific stage where victims are abandoned to die in captivity when their families can no longer raise the demanded sums.

Speaking in an extensive interview with BBC Hausa, Bashir warned that widespread poverty has crippled traditional means of raising ransom, leaving many abducted Nigerians to languish helplessly in the hands of criminals.

“Kidnappings and abductions for ransom continue, and the situation has now reached a point where, when people are abducted and no ransom is forthcoming, because the avenues for raising money have dried up and poverty has become widespread, the victims are left to languish in captivity until they die in that condition,” he said.

“The situation is truly grim and distressing.”

Security Has Failed, Government Must Act

Bashir said the most critical issue confronting Nigerians today is security and the protection of lives, noting that strong complaints were raised over the deteriorating security situation across many states, particularly those with Muslim-majority populations.

According to him, the failure of the state to protect citizens has reached unacceptable levels, prompting urgent calls on the government to rise to its constitutional and moral responsibilities.

“The most critical issue that was confronted was the matter of security and the protection of the lives of the people,” he said.

“Strong complaints were raised about the deteriorating security situation, which affects many states in this country.”

He stressed that protecting lives, property and human dignity is not optional but a duty imposed by both God and the Nigerian Constitution, adding that such protection must be provided without discrimination on the basis of religion or ethnicity.

“A call was made on the government to rise up and discharge its responsibilities, responsibilities that God has placed upon it and which the Constitution has also imposed on it, to protect the property of the people, their lives, and their dignity, as required,” he said.

“This protection of Nigerians must be carried out without discrimination on the basis of religion or ethnicity.”

‘Christian Genocide Claims Are False, Muslims Are the Worst Hit’

Bashir also addressed international claims alleging genocide against Nigerian Christians, firmly rejecting them as false and misleading.

He said evidence gathered and shared globally shows that Muslims have suffered the most casualties in Nigeria’s insecurity crisis, contradicting narratives that portray only one religious group as victims.

“This opportunity was also used to further emphasise that the claim being made that genocide is being carried out against a particular segment of Nigerians is not true,” he said.

“Facts were established, facts that this body has gathered and disseminated globally, showing that those who have suffered the most, those who have borne the greatest pain of this insecurity, and those who have been killed the most in these mass killings are none other than the Muslims of this country.”

While acknowledging that the Federal Government has officially rejected genocide claims against Christians, Bashir said this position must be consistently reinforced and backed by concrete action to end the violence.

The scholar cautioned against relying solely on military force to tackle insecurity, calling instead for a combination of approaches, including reconciliation with armed groups willing to repent.

However, he warned that reconciliation must not undermine justice.

“The issue should not be addressed solely through the use of military force but also through other approaches, including reconciliation with those who are willing to lay down their arms and repent,” he said.

He stressed that any reconciliation process must be clearly structured and anchored on justice, ensuring fairness to victims and accountability for wrongdoing.

Bashir urged Islamic scholars to intensify prayers and guide society toward repentance, citing Qur’anic teachings that calamities are often the result of human actions.

“Allah has informed us in the Qur’an that no calamity befalls people except as a result of what they themselves have done,” he said.

“Therefore, we must repent and return to Allah, and intensify our prayers.”

He added that divine forgiveness and relief are promised if people sincerely turn back to God.

Tax Law Amendments ‘Betrayed the Poor’

Beyond security, Bashir raised serious concerns about Nigeria’s economic direction, particularly proposed amendments to tax laws.

He said religious leaders were deeply disappointed by changes introduced after public consultations, which were supposed to protect the poor from excessive tax burdens.

“We expressed deep concern and regret over what has happened,” he said.

“The legislature had consulted widely with a view to making amendments in such a way that the poor would not be unduly burdened.”

Instead, he said, the final amendments contradicted what was agreed during public hearings.

“Who made these changes and usurped the powers that the Constitution clearly vests in the hands of legislators?” he asked.

“It is not the responsibility of the executive arm of government. This constitutes a clear violation of the Constitution.”

Bashir said the manner in which the issue was brushed aside suggested that constitutional violations were being normalised.

He called for proper post-public hearings by the National Assembly and demanded that what was agreed during public consultations should prevail as the law of the land.

He also condemned persistent problems in Nigeria’s budgeting process, including budget padding and the prioritization of expenditures that do not improve the lives of ordinary people.

“Projects and allocations that would alleviate poverty, improve education, and enhance healthcare are not being prioritised,” he said.

Bashir noted that the 2024 and 2025 budgets have not been fully implemented, yet new budgets are being proposed and funds released without tangible results.

“It is as though the government is completely unaware of the harsh conditions in which ordinary people are living,” he said.

He urged Islamic scholars to use tafsir sessions and public platforms to consistently challenge policymakers to adopt economic policies that reflect empathy for the poor.

At the same time, he called on the Muslim community to take voter registration and Permanent Voter Card collection seriously.

“When it comes time to vote, they should vote for those they believe will uphold trust and act with integrity,” he said. “Not sectarianism, not party affiliation, but trust.”

He emphasized that leadership in Islam is a sacred trust (amanah).

Call for Removal of Electoral Commission Chairman

In one of his strongest interventions, Bashir called for the removal of the Chairman of the Electoral Commission, accusing him of partisanship over genocide claims.

According to him, the official publicly affirmed genocide allegations, contradicting the Federal Government’s official position.

“As a senior government official, this puts him at odds with the government’s stance,” he said. “This amounts to a form of betrayal of the state.”

Bashir warned that elections conducted under such leadership would lack public confidence.

“What he ought to do is resign. If he does not resign, then the government should remove him,” he said.

He expressed concern that the chairman has neither retracted nor clarified his statements, insisting that Nigeria needs an electoral umpire who is neutral, fair and impartial.

“The country needs someone who is non-partisan, free from bias or vested interests,” Bashir said. “This is the position we continue to maintain up till now.”