Senate Debunks Ransom Claims, Says Overwhelming Firepower Freed Abducted Victims
Yemi Adaramodu, the spokesperson for the Senate, has refuted claims that the federal government paid ransoms to secure the release of abducted students and other victims in Kebbi and Niger states, stating instead that the bandits fled upon realizing the “superior power” of the security forces.
Speaking on Friday during an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, Adaramodu addressed the recent release of 38 worshippers abducted in Kwara State and 24 schoolgirls from Kebbi State, insisting that their freedom was not purchased.
“From our side at the National Assembly, we believe the Federal Government did not pay any ransom to anybody,” Adaramodu said.
The senator explained that engagement with bandits can take various forms, including force or persuasion, and cautioned the public against assuming that a lack of visible casualties means no military action took place.
“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.
Adaramodu further emphasized that security agencies are not obligated to make their operational tactics public.
“The ways and manners of the military, how they rescue victims, cannot and will not be made public. As a security agency, they will not tell us how many bullets they shot or how many guns they lost,” he added.
The lawmaker’s comments come after President Bola Tinubu announced the rescue of the victims earlier in the week, commending the security forces for their swift response.
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