The Federal Government has declared that no money was paid as ransom to secure the release of the 23 Abuja-Kaduna train passengers remaining in the kidnappers’ den.
The government added that plans were ongoing to resume the suspended train service soon.
However, short and long-term sustainable plans will be initiated in a few months to ensure the safety of the rail line and passengers.
The Minister of Transportation, Mu’azu Sambo, divulged these in Abuja at a press briefing organized to officially welcome the 23 released kidnapped train passengers.
Speaking on the purported payment of ransom, he said: “It is not appropriate to reveal exactly what measures were taken to secure the release of hostages of this nature.
“Now, there are two things I want you to bear in mind. Through this incident, it is the position of this government that under no circumstances should there be collateral damage.
“There is a committee made up of some retired generals and some retired public officers of high ranking and status who assisted the military and the security agencies throughout the process of securing the release of these hostages.
“Number three, I want to state categorically that because this government does not support and approve ransom payment, no kobo was paid in exchange for the release of these 23 hostages and other ones as well.”
