‘Federal Government Does Not Pay Ransom' – Defence Minister Musa Insists

‘Federal Government Does Not Pay Ransom For Victims’ – Defence Minister Musa
Rescues achieved through military pressure and intelligence
Public urged to avoid dealings with bandits

The Federal Government has reiterated that it does not pay ransom to secure the release of abducted persons, insisting that victims are rescued through military pressure and intelligence driven operations.

The Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa, made the clarification in an interview with BBC Hausa, amid widespread public belief that ransom payments are often used to secure the release of kidnapped victims, particularly schoolchildren.

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EKO HOT BLOG reports that Musa stated emphatically that the Federal Government does not negotiate financially with kidnappers under any circumstances.

“The federal government does not pay ransom. Even if others do, the federal government does not. We do not pay ransom,” he said.

He explained that many rescue operations wrongly attributed to ransom payments are the outcome of sustained security operations carried out by the armed forces.

“People only assume that ransom is paid. For example, whenever children are kidnapped from schools, soldiers go into the forest to apply pressure on the bandits so they will flee and abandon the children, and then we recover them. There is no issue of paying ransom,” Musa said.

The defence minister warned that paying ransom strengthens criminal networks and encourages further kidnappings.

“We also oppose it, because if it continues, it will encourage people to kidnap for money. That is why we say people should stop paying ransom,” he added.

He urged families and communities affected by abductions to promptly report incidents to security agencies rather than engaging kidnappers directly.

“If someone is kidnapped, they should report to the security agencies so that proper action can be taken,” Musa said.

Musa also cautioned communities against maintaining any form of relationship with bandits, including supplying them with food, drinks or other essentials.

“We constantly tell people to stop having dealings with bandits and to stop selling food or drinks to them,” he said.

Describing such acts as dangerous, the minister warned that anyone who trades with bandits is indirectly sustaining criminality.

“What people should understand is that if you sell food to them and they give you money, you are eating blood money, and that is not good,” he said.

The minister further warned state governments against entering peace deals with bandits, describing such arrangements as deceptive and counterproductive. He cited Katsina State as an example, noting that the Federal Government had advised against such negotiations.

Musa reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to restoring peace across the country, stressing that sustained military action, intelligence sharing and public cooperation remain critical to ending banditry.