Pro-democracy and civil rights advocacy group HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA, HURIWA, has asked the federal Government to clarify how much ransom was paid to the terrorists before the 24 abducted Kebbi school girls were freed.
The call followed a viral online video showing that the Nigerian government and the bandits who abducted the Kebbi schoolgirls negotiated and arrived at a deal before the girls were set free,
HURIWA, stated that the public admission by the spokesperson of Mr. President, Bayo Onanuga, that the security forces had a direct communication with the kidnappers has broadened the suspicions of underhand deals and probable exchange of humongous amount as ransom to the terrorists just as the terrorists had confirmed in the video they posted online.
In a media release endorsed by the National Coordinator, Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko, the HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA, HURIWA, recalled that some kidnapped students of Government Girls Secondary School, Maga, Kebbi State, were released on Tuesday with the government claiming that no ransom was paid before their release.
HURIWA said a direct contradiction of this claim by government was disclosed in a widely circulated video, which has surfaced online revealing that the government had negotiated with the abductors before the girls were set free. The Rights group is therefore demanding that government comes clear on the allegation of paying ransom to terrorists.
HURIWA stated that in the clip shared by @AM_Saleeem on X, one of the armed men is heard questioning the schoolgirls about military aircraft that flew over the forest during their captivity.
He asks how many jets passed above them, and the girls responded, “uncountable.”
The kidnapper then boasts that the authorities could not rescue the students by force and had to negotiate. The abductors also asked the girls about their condition in captivity.
“Did we leave you hungry?” one bandit asked.
“No,” the girls replied.
“Were you assaulted in any way?” he asked again.
“No,” they answered.
Another kidnapper told them, “We will take you back home safe to your parents, we are doing this based on peace deals.”
He also mocked the government again, asking, “How many helicopters did you see hover around?” The students replied that they could not count them.
At the end of the video, one of the abductors declared, “We are letting you go after negotiations. Your government cannot rescue you with might. Your government has failed.”
HURIWA also recalled with shock that the footage appeared shortly after Kebbi State Governor, Nasir Idris, and the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, announced that all abducted students had been freed.
The girls, who were kidnapped after armed men stormed their school and killed the vice-principal, were later seen smiling inside a bus as officials prepared to transport them to Birnin Kebbi, the state capital.
“HURIWA is hereby informing the current administration that over 99% of ordinary citizens of the Federal Republic of Nigeria do not believe a single word coming from government about these recent spate of mass abductions of students from their dormitories.
The sporadic and spontaneous television appearances made by Bayo Onanuga and his unconvincing words during those live tv interviews when put side by side with the revelation made by these terrorists kidnappers, shows that there is more to it than meet the eyes.
This government is not truthful with how it handled these kidnappings because it is inconceivable that government is claiming to have freed the hostages whereas their kidnappers who looked unperturbed are jeering at the president Tinubu’s government for its inability to secure the release of these children without negotiation and we wonder if negotiation went without financial payouts for the terrorists just as the terrorists revealed in their video.”
HURIWA has also canvassed a swift change of strategy by the government to focus on the physical, forceful and drastic decimation, degrading and crushing of the well armed terrorists because the group is worried that despite the reported intensified military operation against bandits, the criminals have continued their wave of terror, abducting 20 persons in Kwara and Kano between Monday night and Tuesday morning. HURIWA said the non-kinetic aspect of the war on terror which is basically paying cash to terrorists is unworkable.
HURIWA lamented that the tragic development comes barely 24 hours after 38 worshippers abducted from the Christ Apostolic Church, Oke-Isegun, Eruku, Ikere, Kwara State, on November 18, were released by their abductors.
The worshippers were freed on Sunday after a non-kinetic operation involving the Department of State Services and the military.
HURIWA quoted the presidential spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, as dismissing speculation that a ransom was paid, stressing that the government simply negotiated with the bandits for the release of the hostages.
HURIWA said: “There is no joy in paying hundreds of millions of dollars as ransom to terrorists to secure the freedom of some of the school children they violently abducted and then government allows the terrorists to go away with their massive arsenal of weapons of mass destruction, including surface to air anti-air craft guns. How does government think that paying off terrorists is the solution towards ending the constant bombardments and attacks of citizens by terrorists? The simple logic is that, once these humongous pay packages offered to terrorists by government as is being heavily suspected in the Kebbi scenario, are exhausted, the terrorists will inevitably look for other people to kidnap to get some more cash to finance their business of the underworld.
” This government has yet to convince the citizens that it has the capacity and the political will to crush terrorists decisively. Paying terrorists is tantamount to dancing on the graves of the over 60, 000 citizens these terrorists have massacred in the last 13 years,” Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko, National Coordinator, HURIWA said.
