ADC’s Bolaji Abdullahi Alleges Government is Paying Abductors
Bolaji Abdullahi, the National Publicity Secretary of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has accused the federal government of making deals with insurgents and paying abductors to secure the release of kidnap victims.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Wednesday, Abdullahi challenged the government’s narrative regarding recent rescues of abducted persons, particularly in the northern part of the country.
His comments came in response to recent statements by the presidency crediting the Department of State Services (DSS) and the military for the release of victims.
Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, had earlier stated that the gunmen cooperated because they knew they would be “pummelled” otherwise, and that a non-kinetic approach was used to avoid collateral damage.
However, Abdullahi dismissed this explanation, alleging that the government is negotiating with criminals.
“What is clear to us is that the government is making deals with kidnappers, the government is making deals with insurgents.
“Perhaps because they want a quick win, they want something to celebrate, then they will not hesitate to make the kind of negotiation or deals that they are doing,” Abdullahi claimed.
The former Minister of Sports questioned why no arrests have been made if the government truly “talked” to the abductors.
“Now it means that you are in contact with them. You knew them, so why didn’t you arrest them? Has a single arrest been made?
“They were asking for N100 million per victim. So, you mean you just went to them and said, ‘OK. Don’t do this again,” he asked.
Abdullahi warned that this approach is dangerous and reinforces the criminal enterprise of kidnapping.
“The intention was to rescue. But what we are saying is that the probable unintended consequence is that the government, by doing deals with kidnappers, is unwittingly reinforcing the banditry economy,” he said.
Speaking further, he pointed to the sequence of events in Kwara State as evidence.
“After the release of the Eruku churchgoers, what happened the following day? The very next day, they went to Isapa, a neighbouring community, and abducted 11 people. Up to now, those 11 people are still in captivity.”
Abdullahi also criticized the government’s decision to close schools in affected areas, arguing that it plays into the hands of terrorists.
“When you close schools because bandits could go and kidnap children, what you are saying is that, ‘I’m no longer capable of protecting my schools.
“And don’t forget the ideology of Boko Haram is that Western education is forbidden. So, by shutting down schools, you are reinforcing the Boko Haram ideology,” he added.
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