President Tinubu has dismissed any plans by his government to pay ransom to terrorists for the release of kidnap victims.
While receiving traditional rulers from Oyo state led by Oba Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja, the Olubadan of Ibadanland, at the State House, Abuja today, July 30, the President said terrorists who abducted school children and teachers in Oriire on May 15 had demanded the release of their jailed members alongside their ransom demand but were flatly refused.
The President explained that his administration will neither negotiate with terrorists nor pay ransoms for rescue.
Speaking publicly about the incident for the first time since the rescue of the Oyo abductees on July 10, he said
“We refuse to negotiate for ransom. These criminals wanted us to release from detention members of their criminal gangs that were already arrested, that was one of their conditions, outside of the money they were looking for. Crime& Justice
And we said no deal. We are not going to negotiate with criminals.
They committed m#rder, and we were ready to finish with their families, members of their own communities. They grew up somewhere.”