PDP Calls for End to Ransom Payments Amid Kidnapping Crisis

The People's Democratic Party (PDP) has called on the Nigerian federal government to immediately halt ransom payments and take decisive action to address the increasing wave of kidnappings across the country. In a statement from the party's national public secretary, Ini Ememobong, concerns were raised about a report indicating that approximately one trillion naira has allegedly been paid to criminal groups.

This claim was supported by three intelligence sources cited by the French Press Agency. The report mentioned that ransom payments ranged from 2 billion naira to 40 million naira per individual, with around 7 million naira reportedly delivered via helicopter for the release of students abducted from St. Mary's Boarding School in Niger State.

However, the Minister of Information, Moham Idri, dismissed these allegations as completely false, asserting that no ransom was paid and that the government acts within the law. The PDP expressed deep concern over the implications of ransom payments on national security and urged the government to implement the provisions of the Terror Prevention Prohibition Act of 2022 to combat the issue effectively.