President Bola Tinubu has reiterated that his administration will not negotiate with criminals or pay ransom to secure the release of kidnap victims, saying doing so would encourage terrorism and banditry. Tinubu made the declaration on Thursday while receiving traditional rulers from Oyo State, led by the Olubadan of Ibadanland, at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
“We refuse to pay ransom. We know the geography of the forests. We know what it is, and in response to it, you have seen that we are moving from eight divisions to 12 divisions to shorten the response time and give that response the teeth needed for us to defeat terrorism and banditry. It is very necessary, and we are doing so,” he said. Tinubu disclosed that the abductors had demanded not only ransom but also the release of detained members of their criminal gang, a request the Federal Government rejected.
“We refuse to negotiate for ransom. These criminals wanted us to release from detention members of their criminal gangs who had already been arrested. That was one of their conditions, apart from the money they were looking for, and we said, ‘No deal.’ “We are not going to negotiate with criminals. They committed murder, and we were ready to finish with them. They have families and members of their own communities. Some of them are non-Nigerians. You see… the problem of insecurity in Mali, Burkina Faso and the Niger Republic is adding more fuel to our challenges,” the president stated.
Speaking on the recent rescue of pupils and teachers abducted in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, Tinubu congratulated the state on the successful operation and commended the armed forces for their role. The President said the Federal Government was strengthening the country’s security architecture by increasing military formations to improve response times against terrorists and bandits.
Tinubu also reaffirmed his support for the establishment of state police, noting that adequate safeguards would be put in place to prevent abuse while giving traditional rulers a greater role in grassroots security. “We have equally embarked upon what was missing for several decades because of fears and uncertainty about what to do about security at the local level. We will be corrected. There will be state police, and that state police will have guardrails against abuse. We will protect it from abuse, and you traditional rulers too will have a role to play.
“We are equally enhancing the capacity and capability of the forest guards. They are not just to chase antelopes and animals. We are going to have them chase criminals and deal with them in the forests,” he stated.
