President Bola Tinubu on Thursday disclosed that the Federal Government rejected demands by kidnappers for ransom and the release of detained gang members before security operatives rescued the 44 pupils and teachers abducted in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.
The President said his administration would not negotiate with criminals or pay ransom, insisting that yielding to such demands would only embolden terrorists and bandits.
Tinubu spoke at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, while receiving traditional rulers from Oyo State led by the Olubadan of Ibadanland.
According to him, the abductors demanded both money and the release of members of their gang who had earlier been arrested, but the government refused.
He said, “We refuse to negotiate for ransom. These criminals wanted us to release from detention members of their criminal gangs who had already been arrested. That was one of their conditions, apart from the money they were looking for, and we said, ‘No deal.’
“We are not going to negotiate with criminals. They committed murder, and we were ready to finish with them.”
The President said the government had intensified efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s security architecture by expanding military formations from eight to 12 divisions to improve response time against terrorists and bandits.
“We refuse to pay ransom. We know the geography of the forests. We know what it is, and in response to it, you have seen that we are moving from eight divisions to 12 divisions to shorten the response time and give that response the teeth needed for us to defeat terrorism and banditry,” he said.
Tinubu linked Nigeria’s growing insecurity partly to the instability in neighbouring Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger Republic, saying the crises in those countries had worsened security challenges within Nigeria.
Speaking on the rescue of the Oriire victims, the President congratulated the Oyo State Government and commended the armed forces and other security agencies for the successful operation.
He also renewed his support for the establishment of state police, saying adequate safeguards would be introduced to prevent abuse while giving traditional rulers a more active role in community policing.
“There will be state police, and that state police will have guardrails against abuse. We will protect it from abuse, and you traditional rulers too will have a role to play,” Tinubu said.
The President added that the Federal Government was strengthening the capacity of forest guards to combat criminal elements operating in forests across the country.
“They are not just to chase antelopes and animals. We are going to have them chase criminals and deal with them in the forests,” he stated.
Tinubu stressed the importance of intelligence gathering, urging Nigerians to remain vigilant by reporting suspicious movements and unfamiliar persons in their communities.
He assured traditional rulers that his administration would engage them more frequently to obtain their input on governance and security issues.
The President also called on state governors to utilise increased federal allocations to improve security infrastructure and road connectivity in their respective states.
His remarks came weeks after security operatives rescued 44 pupils and teachers abducted during the May 15 attack on schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State after they spent 56 days in captivity.
Following the rescue, three suspects linked to the abduction were sentenced to life imprisonment by the Federal High Court in Abuja after pleading guilty to concealing information about the masterminds and belonging to Darul Salam, an affiliate of the Ansaru terrorist group.
The Department of State Services has also arraigned five additional suspects on charges bordering on terrorism, kidnapping and murder, with the matter adjourned until September 24.
Meanwhile, the Oyo State Government recently acquired two surveillance aircraft in partnership with the Nigerian Air Force to strengthen intelligence gathering, aerial surveillance and rapid response to security threats across the state.
Governor Seyi Makinde had said the aircraft had already proved useful in tackling security challenges, including the rescue operation involving the Oriire pupils and teachers.
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