Senate spokesman Yemi Adaramodu has dismissed claims that ransom was paid to secure the freedom of individuals recently rescued from abductors, insisting the Federal Government followed lawful and strategic procedures without yielding to criminal demands.
Adaramodu stressed that what truly matters is that the captives have been reunited with their families, regardless of the silence surrounding the operation.
Furthermore, Adaramodu who spoke during an interview on Friday, said Nigerians must avoid drawing conclusions from the lack of dramatic images or publicised gunfights, adding that security operations rarely unfold in the sensational manner people expect.
According to him, the recent releases in Kebbi and Niger States were achieved without any form of financial settlement to the kidnappers.
He emphasised that lawmakers had been properly briefed and were confident that due process was followed.
“The Federal Government did not give ransom to anyone, and that is the clear position from our end,” he said.
The Senate spokesman explained that engagement with criminal groups can take several forms, ranging from coordinated force to high-level persuasion.
He noted that security agencies do not operate with cameras strapped to their uniforms, hence the absence of footage should not be interpreted as inactivity.
“In security work, contact can be hostile or tactical. The fact that you didn’t see handcuffed suspects doesn’t erase the battles fought behind the scenes,” he stated.
He further argued that kidnappers often abandon victims the moment they sense that security forces have gained the upper hand.
“When abductors realise superior power is closing in, their instinct is to run. That is why victims are often found alive but abandoned,” Adaramodu explained.
Moreover, he cautioned the public against expecting military agencies to reveal sensitive details, describing such demands as unrealistic and potentially harmful.
“The military cannot announce how they manoeuvred, how many bullets they used, or how they positioned. Those tactics are not for public consumption,” he added.
Adaramodu stressed that the priority of both the Senate and the Federal Government is the safety of citizens caught in violent abductions, not the spectacle of operations.
“The assignment we gave the military is simple: rescue our girls, our parents, our worshippers. They went in, they brought them back, and that is what counts,” he said.
The spokesman maintained that operational secrecy remains essential to Nigeria’s security response, noting that excessive disclosure could compromise future missions.
As conversations continue nationwide on how best to strengthen counter-kidnapping efforts, Adaramodu urged citizens to appreciate the delicate balance between transparency and national security.