Kagara: We will not pay ransom to secure the release of abducted people, FG insists

The federal government has insisted it will pay no ransom to secure the release of those abducted from Government Science College in Kagara, Niger state.

Information and Culture Minister Alhaji Lai Mohammed said this on a Sunday radio show.

He said insinuations in some quarters that the government had paid a ransom to secure the release of the abductees was false, saying the government would not do anything that would reward any act against the law.

Mohammed also denied that the government paid a ransom to secure the release of more than 300 children abducted by bandits in Kankara, Katsina recently.

“It’s a lie, we paid no ransom to secure the release of the Kankara schoolchildren and we didn’t pay a penny to secure the release of the Kagara students and others abducted by bandits.

“We will not pay because this is not the way to go. Other options to get the abducted people released are on the table, but giving money to get them is a no, ”he said.

Mohammed assured Nigerians that the government would do what was right so that the abductees and other held captive would soon be released.

As to whether it was fair for some Nigerians to visit bandits and convince them of the need to embrace peace, the minister said there was nothing wrong with that.

He said that as long as the intention was right and the ultimate goal was peace, the government was not opposed to anything that would promote peace in the country.

“After the war, people are still sitting down to talk. So if some people have decided to visit these people so that they can embrace peace, I don’t think there is anything wrong with that, ”he said.

He said the government is working diligently to resolve all security issues in the country such as insurgency and banditry.

The minister said that President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration has achieved remarkable success against the insurgency, as it has worked to curb terrorist activities.

Mohammed said there was a time in Nigeria that terrorists bombed locations in different parts of the country, noting that the near absence of such an event now shows the government has made progress.

Regarding the pastoralist / farmer clashes in some parts of the country, the minister said the government was taking assured measures to resolve the problem.

One of the steps, according to the minister, is the government plan to encourage intensive livestock farming to ensure that animal husbandry and agricultural crops are not in conflict in the country.

Mohammed urged Nigerians to see the farmer / pastoralist clashes for what they were and not to describe them as an attempt by one ethnic group to dominate or annihilate the other.

The minister said the government is committed to peaceful coexistence and urged Nigerians to support the federal government to ensure peace in the country.

On COVID-19, Mohammed urged Nigerians to continue taking precautions as the government does its part to contain the spread of the pandemic.

The minister said arrangements had been made to obtain millions of doses of the vaccine to protect citizens from the virus.

“Yes, we are doing our best. By the end of the month, we expect 16 million AstraZeneca vaccines, out of the 41 million doses promised by the WHO under the CAVAX agreement.

“We alone paid for 43 million doses of vaccines, including AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson. It will happen later. So we do our best.

“I want to urge Nigerians to avail themselves of the vaccines when they arrive. All the negative and false things people say about vaccines won’t help, ”he said.

Vanguard News Nigeria

Related