Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani, has restated his administration’s firm position against paying ransom to bandits, despite ongoing security challenges in the state.
He said the government would not negotiate financially with criminals, insisting that ransom payments only fuel insecurity.
The governor spoke on BBC Pidgin while reacting to the abduction of over 100 worshippers from three different churches last Sunday by gunmen suspected to be bandits.
Recall Dockaysworld reported that the police had finally confirmed the abductions after initial denial of the incident.
According to Sani, his background as a civil rights activist and his belief in justice and freedom guide his approach to security and crisis management. He stressed that ransom payments only worsen the problem.
“The policy of this government in Kaduna State is that we don’t pay ransom; I don’t even believe in ransom at all,” he said.
Sani explained that immediately after the abductions, he engaged security authorities at both the state and federal levels to secure the release of the victims.
“I fought for justice to the extent that I was detained. When the incident happened, the first thing I did was rushing to sit down with the necessary security agencies. I rushed to Abuja first to sit down with the National Security Adviser and the Minister of Defense,” he said.
The governor said his focus was on rescuing the victims rather than responding to public debates online.
“When people were busy talking on social media, my concern is, how do I rescue these victims? I can assure you, by the grace of God, our people will be released,” he added.
He also assured families of the abducted worshippers that the state government would take full responsibility for their care once they regain freedom.
“Before I went there, I’ve already instructed the Commissioner for Health. I assure you that government will handle everything that has to do with their welfare, including handling their medical bills and ensuring that they have the best medical attention. Not only that, we also have to ensure that they go through psychosocial treatment,” the governor said.