Ahmed Usman Ododo, Kogi State governor, has reiterated his administration’s policy of not negotiating with kidnappers or paying ransom, following the successful rescue of four persons abducted from a NECO examination centre in Dekina Local Government Area of the state.
Ododo made this known on Friday at the Government House, Lokoja, while receiving the rescued victims who were kidnapped last Tuesday during an attack on a purported examination centre at the abandoned Government Secondary School, Olowa Agbajo, Dekina Local Government Area, just as he commended security agencies for their coordinated operations, describing the rescue as a testament to the effectiveness of inter-agency collaboration in tackling insecurity in the state.
He said, “I have said it before, and I want to reiterate that this administration will never negotiate with criminals or pay ransom. They may come into our state, but they will not return to where they came from”.
He equally commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for providing the necessary support to security agencies, assuring the President that Kogi State would continue to justify the confidence reposed in it.
“I want to commend Mr President and Commander-in-Chief, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for giving us all the support needed to defeat insecurity. We will not disappoint him in Kogi State,” he added.
However, he ordered a full investigation into the circumstances that led to the conduct of the NECO examination at the abandoned school.
He pointed out that preliminary findings indicated that the school had earlier been shut down because of its remote location and security concerns.
“I await the outcome of the investigation to determine why the principal decided to take only 10 students to an isolated location for the examination,” he said.
Ododo urged residents to remain calm, assuring them that security operatives were on the trail of the kidnappers and would ensure they were arrested and prosecuted.
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