‘No Dime Will Be Paid As Ransom To Rescue Abducted Children’ – Tinubu

President Bola Tinubu has said that no ransom will be paid for the rescue of the children abducted from Kuriga in Kaduna State.

This comes barely two days after Islamic cleric, Sheik Ahmad Gumi appealed to the federal government to allow him dialogue with the bandits as a way of rescuing Nigerians abducted by the bandits.

Gumi urged President Bola Tinubu not to be like his predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari, who refused to negotiate with the bandits.

The Kaduna-based cleric said he is ready to facilitate comprehensive discussions between the federal government and bandits in order to secure the freedom of all victims in the captivity of the bandits.

Gumi also condemned the decision of the Kaduna State government not to negotiate with the bandits who recently kidnapped 287 school children from Kuriga Government Secondary and LEA Primary Schools in Chikun local government area of the state.

He recalled how negotiations were used to rescue victims of the Abuja-Kaduna train kidnap of March 28, 2022, and urged the government to allow the method to be used again.

However, speaking on behalf of the President, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Muhammad Idris, in an interview with State House Correspondents after the FEC meeting on Wednesday, said Tinubu reiterated his directive to security chiefs to ensure that the children are rescued and brought back safely to their homes.

According to Idris, Tinubu made his stance against payment of ransom to kidnappers and that the current administration is determined to tackle kidnapping and other criminal activities in the country.

He said kidnapping, especially mass abduction, will not be tolerated under the current administration.