President Bola Tinubu has issued a directive to security agencies in Nigeria, emphasizing the imperative of ensuring the safe return of all kidnap victims across the country while firmly prohibiting ransom payments to achieve this goal.
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, relayed Tinubu’s stance to reporters at the State House, Abuja, following the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by the President.
He said, “The President has directed that security agencies must, as a matter of urgency, ensure that these children and all those who have been kidnapped are brought back in safety and also in the process to ensure that not a dime is paid for ransom.
“So it’s important to underscore that no dime, government is not paying anybody any dime and the government is optimistic that these children and other people that have been abducted will be brought back to their families in safety.”
Responding to the surge in kidnapping incidents, particularly in Borno, Kaduna, and Sokoto states, President Tinubu instructed security and intelligence agencies to prioritize the immediate release of victims. He assured families of swift action towards the safe return of their loved ones.
Despite the escalating number of abductions and ransom demands, Tinubu maintained a firm stance against ransom payments. Notably, a group of kidnappers in Kaduna State demanded an exorbitant sum of N40 trillion, along with vehicles and motorcycles, for the release of 16 abducted individuals from the Gonin-Gora area.
Similarly, bandits in Sokoto State demanded N20 million ransom for 15 Qur’anic students they had kidnapped. Additionally, 61 locals were reportedly abducted by bandits in Buda community, Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
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