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The National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, said so far the President Bola Tinubu-led Federal Government has rescued over 1,000 kidnap victims without paying a ransom.
Ribadu said this when he received 22 students and staff of the Federal University of Gusau, Zamfara State.
The bandits had, on September 22, 2023, invaded the institution and abducted over 30 students and members of staff.
Speaking while receiving the students in Abuja, the NSA appreciated the security operatives for rescuing the students “without losing anyone of them or paying any ransom.”
He said, “On behalf of the President, I thank all those involved in the successful rescue of the victims without losing anyone of them or paying any ransom. This is yet again a success story in our efforts to free all those being unlawfully held in captivity.
“We have so far released over a thousand such victims without noise and with complete respect to their privacy and safety. This occasion marks a final juncture in a series of rescues we have undertaken in the last few months, to free victims of recent cases of mass abductions.
“Going forward, we are strengthening law enforcement and security measures to prevent these abductions and strengthen physical security across vulnerable communities.”
Ribadu urged the students and university workers not to allow their experience to break them, but should rather make them stronger.”
In March, the military rescued 137 students kidnapped from Kaduna State, with the Federal Government saying no ransom was paid, despite that the bandits demanded N1bn.
