The National Publicity Secretary of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Bolaji Abdullahi, has accused the Federal Government of secretly negotiating with terrorists and kidnappers under the guise of rescuing victims.
He made the claim on Wednesday, November 26, while appearing on Channels Television’s Politics Today.
The accusation followed the rescue of 24 schoolgirls abducted during last week’s attack on Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, Kebbi State, an assault that left the school’s Vice Principal, Malam Hassan Makuku, dead.
“What is clear to us is that the government is making deals with kidnappers; the government is making deals with insurgents,” Abdullahi said.
“Perhaps because there may be different considerations, but perhaps because they want a quick win — something to celebrate — then they will not hesitate to make the kind of negotiation or deals that they are doing.
“They are doing deals with insurgents. They can’t deny that,” he added.
Pressed to explain his allegation, Abdullahi argued that by admitting to contacting the abductors, authorities had effectively acknowledged knowing their identities without taking meaningful action.
“Leave the issue of how much they paid them, or how they paid them,” he said. “But the point is that you said you talked to them, and they agreed to release the people they captured.
“Now it means that you are in contact with them. You knew them, so why didn’t you arrest them? Has a single arrest been made?
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“Because for you to talk to them to agree to release the people they kidnapped means that you know where they were, and you actually had conversations with them — whether you begged them or you bribed them or you did whatever — then they agreed to release those people.”
Responding to Kebbi State Governor Nasir Idris’s claim that no ransom was paid, the ADC spokesman remained unconvinced.
“They [the government] had conversations with them [bandits]. So you mean these people just agreed to surrender? They were asking for ₦100 million per victim. So, you mean you just went to them and said, ‘OK. Don’t do this again’?”
Abdullahi, said such actions only embolden terrorists and deepen the criminal enterprise surrounding kidnapping.
“I’m not questioning the intentions. The intention was to rescue. But what we are saying is that the probable unintended consequence is that the government, by doing deals with kidnappers, is unwittingly reinforcing the banditry economy,” he said.
“After the release of the Eruku churchgoers, what happened the following day? The very next day, they went to Isapa, a neighbouring community, and abducted 11 people. Up to now, those 11 people are still in captivity
“That is the danger of making deals with kidnappers, criminals, and terrorists — because when you make these deals with them, you are actually admitting that you are powerless, showcasing your vulnerability, and encouraging them to do more.”
While acknowledging citizens’ relief that the abducted students were freed, Abdullahi insisted that the government’s method was unsustainable.
“It’s not sustainable when you. We’ve been saying this forever, that the government needed to escalate the security situation in the country, and we are glad that the president is finally listening and declaring a state of emergency.
“But again, we have to ask ourselves: What does that entail? And we’ll have to watch in the coming days to see how this works,” he noted .