The Police in Nasarawa State have said no ransom was paid to secure the release of Mr. Safiyanu Isa Andaha, the Chairman of Akwanga Local Government Area, from his abductors.
In a statement to journalists in Lafia on Wednesday morning, DSP Ramhan Nansel, the state PolicePublic Relations Officer (PPRO), said that the chairman’s release was a result of sustained pressure applied on the kidnappers by law enforcement authorities.
This official stance contrasts with the family members’ assertion that monetary transactions took place before the victims were freed from their abductors.
A family source, speaking on the condition of anonymity, disclosed that a sum of N10 million was exchanged for the victims’ release, following extensive negotiations conducted via mobile phones.
“They were dropped around 9pm behind Maigwona filling station at Bayan Dutse road on the outskirt of Andaha town, and the sum of 10 million naira was paid as ransom,” the source said.
However, DSP Nansel clarified that the kidnappers were compelled to release the victims due to continued and intensified pressure applied by security operatives.
He further stated that the command’s anti-kidnapping unit and Akwanga Divisional Patrol team were dispatched to Andaha village to transport the kidnapped victims for medical examinations.
