Refusing to Pay Ransom Is the Right Principle. Now Government Must Deliver the Results.

Government refuses to pay ransom.

If the state begins financing criminal groups, kidnappings become a business model.

That is not a precedent any responsible government should create.

But a no-ransom policy also creates a greater obligation.

Government must convince Nigerians that it has the capacity to rescue victims safely and quickly.

Families whose loved ones have been kidnapped are not thinking about policy papers.

They want to know that help is coming.

This is where implementation becomes more important than the announcement itself.

If intelligence improves, security agencies coordinate effectively and rescue operations succeed consistently, public confidence in the policy will grow naturally.

If rescue efforts are slow or inconsistent, families may begin to lose faith and seek their own solutions.

A policy should not only be morally right.

It must also be operationally effective.

That is the standard by which Nigerians will judge this decision.