Hajiya Asia El-Rufai, wife of the Governor of Kaduna State has said that there should be a sacrifice on the part of Nigerians to end banditry and kidnapping, insisting that no ransom should be paid if she is kidnapped.
Asia spoke on Wednesday in Kaduna while addressing participants of a peace and security training, organized for Kaduna women by Equal Access International,EAI.
She told the women drawn from Chikun, Kajuru and Jama’a local government areas that Nigerians must get back their once peaceful country and women have a great role to play in achieving that.
Mrs El-Rufai who reiterated that ransom should not be paid if she is kidnapped, 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.”
She stressed that “forr as long as you continue to pay ransome, 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 ransome,his 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 can not 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 kill the person, so you have lost twice,” she said.
On communal clashes that happened in some parts of the state, Hajia El-Rufai admonished the women to be peaceful
ans shun divisive narratives being created by selfish politicians .
The EAI’s Country Director, Mr. Maaji Peters ,said the training was aimed at securing Nigerian communities through creation of Civilian Security, CIVSEC who will make contributions and decisions on issues that affects them and their communities.
