4w ago

Nigeria kidnappers kill 35 hostages even after ransom paid

Zamfara kidnapping: Nigeria bandits kill 38 hostages even after ransom paid

4 comments

What a great way to end the hostage business
Just make a law that it's illegal to kidnap people. That'll fix it.
Pikachu face people are still getting kidnapped, that's illegal.
Well then let's make a law that it's illegal to pay a ransom for kidnapping, that'll fix it.
- The idea behind a ransom is that all parties need to believe with certainty that as long as money is exchanged, then nobody gets hurt. As soon as there's doubt about getting paid or about being released, then suddenly there's turmoil for any other party to hold up their end.
  If I'm told I need to pay a ransom to get somebody freed but I know they may not be released even after I pay, then I may not pay. So it's in the captors best interest to always release them upon receiving payment.
  Then again we're dealing with desperate, possibly evil people with no sense of morality and who will never have considered game theory before. Real life is messy.
In an attempt to curb the spiralling and lucrative kidnapping industry, a law was enacted in 2022 making it a crime to make ransom payments. It carries a jail sentence of at least 15 years, however no-one has ever been arrested on those charges.>
Ah yes! The good old turn the victims of a crime into criminals to stop the other criminals from perpetrating the crime. Seems to me like a winning solution!