Senate spokesperson Yemi Adaramodu has come out swinging, vehemently denying reports that the Federal Government secretly paid ransom to secure the release of schoolchildren abducted in Kebbi and Niger states.
Appearing on Channels TV’s Morning Brief, the Ekiti South senator shut down the increasing rumours, even as Nigerians question how victims keep returning home without any arrested gunmen in sight.
“From our side at the National Assembly, we believe the Federal Government did not pay any ransom to anybody. If there is any contact with the bandits, there are various types — it can be forceful, persuasive or a mix of both,” he said.
His defence comes after presidential aide Bayo Onanuga admitted that security operatives did establish contact with bandits during the Kwara kidnap saga, a disclosure that has only intensified public suspicion.
With school kidnappings spiking again, human rights advocates say the government’s silence on arrests and the absence of confrontation footage is raising more questions than answers.
But Adaramodu insisted that Nigerians shouldn’t assume there was no gun battle simply because no corpses were displayed.
“If you have not seen the corpses of abductors or them being handcuffed, that does not negate the possibility of intense confrontation,” he argued.
According to him, kidnappers often flee once they sense superior firepower.
“When they sense superior firepower, they run and leave the victims behind,” he added.
Meanwhile, in the wake of the Kebbi school attack, the Senate has launched an ad-hoc probe.
Early briefings reveal that soldiers posted to secure the school allegedly abandoned their duty post shortly before terrorists stormed the premises.
The shocking death of Brigadier General Musa Uba, a key figure in anti-banditry operations, has added more heat to the unfolding security drama. The Senate’s investigation will also dig into the events surrounding his death.
Still defending the military’s discretion, Adaramodu said, “Their mandate is to rescue victims safely. How they execute that cannot be in the public domain.”
He assured Nigerians that lawmakers will keep pushing security agencies to deliver real results as the nation battles its kidnapping crisis.
