National Security Adviser (NSA) Nuhu Ribadu has appealed to Nigerians to stop paying ransoms to kidnappers and bandits, warning that such payments only worsen the country’s security crisis.

Ribadu made the remarks on Tuesday while receiving 60 kidnap victims rescued in military operations in Zangon Kataf, Southern Kaduna. The victims, including a senior civil servant and a relative of Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah, were presented at the National Counter-Terrorism Centre in Abuja.

“Please stop giving money to these people,” Ribadu said. “It’s our biggest challenge. Many families paid ransoms, yet it was the security forces—not the payments – that secured their release.”

He emphasised that ransom payments embolden criminal elements and hinder security efforts. “The more you pay, the more you compound the problem. We’ve never given them a kobo, and we don’t want the public to do so either,” he said.

Ribadu credited the rescue to the dedication of the Nigerian Armed Forces and other security agencies, commending their resilience and professionalism.

He also acknowledged President Bola Tinubu’s continued support for national security efforts, stressing that the fight does not end with rescue operations.

“We will not rest until these criminals are apprehended and prosecuted,” he said.

The rescued group included 35 males and 29 females and children, most of whom had been held captive for over a month.