Senate spokesperson Yemi Adaramodu has dismissed claims that the Federal Government paid ransom to secure the release of victims kidnapped in Kebbi and Niger states, insisting that recent rescue operations were not funded through any form of payment to abductors.
Speaking on a televised interview on Friday, Adaramodu addressed growing public doubts about the credibility of rescue missions that often occur without visible confrontation.
“From our side at the National Assembly, we believe the Federal Government did not pay any ransom to anybody,” he said.
Amid widespread speculation that victims were freed through quiet negotiations rather than security action, Adaramodu cautioned Nigerians against drawing conclusions based on what they did not see.
“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,” he explained.
He added that kidnappers frequently abandon hostages once they detect “superior power” approaching.
The surge in school abductions has renewed scrutiny of the Federal Government’s security strategy. Human rights groups and community leaders argue that the absence of transparent communication fuels suspicion that ransom payments persist despite official denials.
But Adaramodu maintained that contact with abductors does not necessarily imply ransom.
“If there is any contact with the bandits, there are several types, negative or positive. It can be through force or persuasion,” he said.
Responding to concerns about the abduction of students from a girls’ secondary school in Kebbi State, the senator confirmed that the Senate has set up an ad-hoc committee to investigate the lapse.
According to him, preliminary reports from the state government and security agencies show that soldiers assigned to protect the school allegedly abandoned their post shortly before the attackers struck.
“We were made to understand, especially from the government of the state, that the soldiers guarding that place left, and minutes later, those people struck and kidnapped our children,” Adaramodu said.
The death of Brigadier General Musa Uba, who was involved in anti-banditry operations, has further intensified public scrutiny over the military’s readiness.
Adaramodu confirmed that the Senate committee will also examine the circumstances surrounding his death.
The senator stressed that the military is not obliged to provide public accounts of its rescue methods.
“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 stated.
He insisted that the priority remains the safe return of victims, not the release of tactical briefings.
“The job we gave them is to rescue the victims—our girls, our parents, our worshippers. What we know is that they went, they brought back those who were ferried into the forest, and that is what matters.”
Adaramodu added that the National Assembly will continue to demand accountability while supporting military efforts to tackle insecurity nationwide.
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