The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has on Saturday, claimed that the President Muhammadu Buhari Federal Government will not pay any ransom to the armed bandits, for the release of the abducted Students and Staff of the Government Science College, GSC, in Kagara, Niger State, Page 36 learnt.
He stated this today while featuring on Channels Television’s ‘Sunrise Daily’.
Recall, that there was a report making the rounds on the social media on Friday, alleging that the Federal Government had paid a whopping N800 million, for the release of the said abductees.
However, when asked on Saturday, whether the government had paid any ransom, or is considering paying a ransom to the bandits, Lai Mohammed responded: “No.”
He noted: “We employ kinetic and non-kinetic (measures), you do not throw away invitation to engage, but the overall strategy you keep to your chest.”
The Minister of Information, who many Nigerians refer to as a liar, also said that the government will not tolerate any form of criminality in the country, in any form.
He added: “Bandits all over the world work with the psychology of people. Deliberately, they target women and children, because this is what will attract a lot of global outcry. That is exactly what bandits do all over the world.
“The government has put in place, all along, various strategies to contain banditry, to fight insurgency, to fight kidnapping. Some of these measures are kinetic, some are not kinetic. We did not get here overnight, and that is why it is difficult to get out in one day.
“Criminality in any form will not be tolerated by government. At the same time, government has a duty to look at the underlining causes of some of these criminalities, in order to address them.
“I was in Minna with my colleagues, the Ministers of Interior and Police Affairs, the IG, and the National Security Adviser, on Wednesday, to get a firsthand information on the abduction of these Kagara schoolboys. I can tell you that as at today, that the government is on top of the matter.”
More news later…
