The Kogi State Government has affirmed that it did not negotiate with kidnappers in a recent abduction case, insisting that security operatives successfully rescued the victims after a gun battle with the criminals.
The state Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Fanwo, disclosed this during an interview on Channels Television’s programme, Morning Brief, on Tuesday. He dismissed claims that the victims were ransomed or released voluntarily by the abductors, emphasising that the operation was a direct rescue executed by security forces.
“When asked whether ransom was paid, Fanwo stated, ‘In Kogi State, we don’t negotiate with kidnappers and criminals. The government is not going to bow to any criminal. We have the capacity to take them out and deal with the situation,’” the commissioner said.
He explained that the rescue effort involved a fierce exchange of gunfire between security operatives and the kidnappers, during which the state regrettably suffered casualties. “We regret the fact that in the fire exchange between the kidnappers and our military and security agencies, we lost two people,” Fanwo noted.
According to the commissioner, the criminals are aware that Kogi remains hostile territory for such illicit activities. “I think a lot of them, too, knew that Kogi is a no-go area for them,” he added.
Fanwo reiterated the government’s firm stance: “We didn’t negotiate with any criminal. We are not going to negotiate with any criminal. We are not interested in negotiating with any criminal. We will deploy all the powers of our security architecture to always deal with them.”
He further assured that the state government will continue to strengthen its security apparatus to ensure rapid response to threats across Kogi State.
Earlier reports indicated that troops of the 12 Brigade Nigerian Army successfully rescued six kidnapped victims from bandits in the Ejiba and Saminaka forests in Yagba East Local Government Area. The operation, confirmed in a statement by the Brigade’s spokesperson, Lt. Hassan Abdullahi, involved coordinated air and ground offensives supported by a Nigeria Police helicopter.
Abdullahi explained that the sustained pressure from the military forced the bandits to abandon the victims, underscoring the Nigerian Army’s ongoing commitment to curbing banditry and kidnapping in the region.
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