The Senate spokesperson, Yemi Adaramodu, has maintained that the Federal Government did not pay any ransom to secure the release of victims recently kidnapped in Kebbi and Niger states.
Adaramodu made the statement on Friday during an interview on Channels Television’s Morning Brief, responding to concerns over the lack of visible evidence of confrontations between security forces and kidnappers during recent rescue operations.
The rising frequency of school kidnappings has also intensified debates over the Federal Government’s alleged use of ransom payments, despite repeated denials from officials.
Human rights organisations and community leaders have long argued that opaque rescue operations create room for speculation, especially when victims are released without clear explanations of how they were recovered.
But the senator representing Ekiti South senatorial district believes that negotiations or contact with abductors can take multiple forms, and the public should not expect security agencies to reveal operational details.
“From our side at the National Assembly, we believe the Federal Government did not pay any ransom to anybody.
“If there is any contact with the bandits, there are several types, negative or positive. It can be through force or persuasion,” he said.
The latest incident in Kebbi and Niger states where students were seized from their respective schools, renewed public concern about the country’s intelligence gathering and early-warning systems.
However, the Senate spokesman warned against assuming that military engagement did not occur simply because no bodies or images of arrest were presented.
“If you have not seen the corpses of abductors or them being handcuffed from the forest, that does not mean there was no serious exchange of battle.
“When abductors realise that superior power is coming, they can abandon their victims and flee,” he stated.
Responding to questions on the security lapses that preceded the abduction of students from a girls’ secondary school in Kebbi State last week, Adaramodu confirmed that the Senate has established an ad-hoc committee to probe the incident.
The PUNCH
