I HAVE NEVER SEEN N1Bn CASH, LET ALONE N5Bn, SAYS NDUME OVER RANSOM CLAIMS

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HOTJIST NEWS

The Senator from Borno South, Ali Ndume, said he did not get any ransom money or help kidnappers talk to the government.He said he has never seen one billion naira in cash in his whole life.

Ndume said this on Friday while speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today.

He was answering claims by Samaila Kaigama, the leader of the Borno South Youth Alliance, who said he was involved in talks about getting money for people who were kidnapped in Ngoshe, Borno State.

He said, “I have said this before.
In my whole life, I have never seen one billion naira in cash, let alone five billion.”

The lawmaker reiterated that he had no role in negotiating with terrorists or facilitating ransom payments, maintaining that his only action was to alert security agencies after Kaigama informed him about a video purportedly released by Boko Haram/ISWAP demanding a N5bn ransom.

“After Kaigame came to make those claims on the television, I quickly spoke with the National Security Adviser and the Department of State Services, DSS, on the matter.

“I told them that there is need to bring us and hear him out as he said he wants to be heard, so that he will have the opportunity to prove all these his allegations.

“And the government should take this matter very seriously because it borders on national security. It’s very dangerous. This has to do with international security because ISWAP and all these terrorist organisations are involved,” he said.

Ndume said his disagreement with Kaigama began after he rejected any suggestion of negotiating with insurgents or paying ransom.

“So after he started bothering me about personal contribution to ransom payment, I told him that I do not support negotiation with Boko Haram, not to talk of paying ransom. I think that’s where the problem started.

“He started issuing out all these uncoordinated and contradictory statements about my involvement and the likes,” he added.

The senator had earlier denied the allegations during an interview on ARISE NEWS, insisting he had never acted, directly or indirectly, as an intermediary between kidnappers and the government or private individuals.

According to him, Kaigama contacted him after insurgents allegedly abducted hundreds of residents of Ngoshe and issued a 72-hour ultimatum demanding a N5bn ransom.

He also urged security agencies to investigate the allegations, describing the matter as one of national security rather than a personal dispute.