The Kogi State government has firmly denied reports that it negotiated with kidnappers during the recent abduction incident in the state, stating that security operatives rescued the victims through a direct operation.
The Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Fanwo, clarified the government’s position on Tuesday during an interview on Channels Television’s Morning Brief. He dismissed claims that the victims were released after ransom payments, stressing that the rescue followed a gun battle between security personnel and the abductors.
Responding to a question on whether any payment was made, Fanwo said, “In Kogi State, we don’t negotiate with kidnappers or criminals. The government will never bow to any criminal. We have the capacity to confront them and handle the situation.”
He explained that the rescue mission was intense and came at a cost, as two people were lost in the exchange of gunfire between the kidnappers and security operatives.
“We regret that during the shootout between the kidnappers and our military and security agencies, we lost two people,” he said.
Fanwo added that criminals are well aware that Kogi State is a hostile ground for such activities, noting that the state maintains a zero-tolerance approach to crime.
“Kogi is a no-go area for them,” he said confidently.
Reaffirming the government’s stance, he emphasized, “We did not negotiate with any criminal. We are not going to negotiate with any criminal. We will continue to deploy the full strength of our security architecture to deal with them whenever the need arises.”
