The Nigerian government has insisted that no ransom was paid to secure the release of the schoolchildren kidnapped from Kuriga, Chikun Local Government Area, Kaduna State.
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, made this known after the regular meeting of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
He added that the non-payment of ransom was in line with President Bola Tinubu’s policy of dealing with such matters.
Idris said the president appreciated the role of the security services in the safe return of the abductees and vowed that all those involved in such acts in the country would be fished out.
Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani had on Sunday announced in a statement the release of the schoolchildren.
The governor also disclosed that a teacher who was kidnapped alongside 137 pupils of the Government Secondary and Primary Schools, Kuriga 1, Chikun LGA of the state, did not make it back.
However, regarding the teacher, the governor said, “Sadly one person has not returned and that is the teacher. That is the fact of the matter but all the 137 children are safely back.
“We had an unfortunate incident that a teacher couldn’t make it. He had some complications, he was sick. That was the report we got from the military but the rest of the children, all of them are back home safely, they are with us.”
