Ransom payment will encourage abductors, Buhari says as he celebrates release of Jangebe girls

President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday kicked against the payment of ransom to secure the release of abduction victims, saying it will encourage the perpetrators of such crimes to continue.

The President said this while celebrating the release of the 279 students of the Government Girls Secondary School, Jangebe, Zamfara State.

Presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu, in a statement on Tuesday, titled “President Buhari celebrates release of abducted Zamfara female students, calls for greater vigilance”, qouted the President as expressing “overwhelming joy” over the release of abducted female students in Zamfara State.

“I join the families and people of Zamfara State in welcoming and celebrating the release of these traumatized female students”, President Buhari said.

Read also: Kidnapped journalist regains freedom from abductors

According to the statement, Buhari said that he was excited that the abductees’ ordeal came to a happy end without any incident, adding that “being held in captivity is an agonising experience not only for the victims but also their families and all of us.”

He however called for greater vigilance by the people so that human intelligence could be collected early enough to nip the bandits’ plans in the bud, warning that the time has come to reverse, completely, the grim and heartbreaking incidents of kidnapping.

President further kicked against payment of ransom, saying “Ransom payments will continue to prosper kidnapping”, while also urging the Police and the Military to go after the kidnappers and bring them to justice.

Ripples Nigeria reported that the 279 female students were abducted from their school in the early hours of Friday and reportedly transported into the forest in Hilux vehicles and on top of motorcycles.

The released students arrived at the Government House, Gusau where they were received by the state Governor, Bello Matawalle.

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