Family Contradicts Kogi Govt’s R€scue Claim, Says NECO ∆bductees Freed Only After Rans0m Payments

 

Family Contradicts Kogi Govt’s Rescue Claim, Says NECO Abductees Freed Only After Ransom Payments

According to her, her elder brother, who was serving as an external National Examination Council (NECO) supervisor, was abducted alongside the school principal and two students while examinations were ongoing.

The family of one of the victims abducted during the attack on a NECO examination centre in Olowa, Dekina Local Government Area of Kogi State, has disputed the state government’s account of how the hostages regained their freedom, insisting that all of them were released only after their families paid ransom to the kidnappers.

The family further alleged that although security operatives deployed drones to track the kidnappers and launched repeated rescue operations in the forest, the efforts were repeatedly thwarted by suspected informants who allegedly alerted the kidnappers whenever security forces were closing in on their location.

A relative of one of the victims, identified simply as Elizabeth, told SaharaReporters on Friday that the government played little role in securing the victims’ freedom despite later announcing that they had been rescued through a coordinated security operation.

According to her, her elder brother, who was serving as an external National Examination Council (NECO) supervisor, was abducted alongside the school principal and two students while examinations were ongoing.

She said the victims had already been surrounded by armed men before they realised what was happening.

“He said they were in school. They had either started the examination or were about to start when people suddenly started running. Before they could notice what was happening, they had already surrounded them. It was him, the principal and two students. There was no way he could escape,” she said.

Elizabeth said the kidnappers contacted the family at about 7:00 a.m. the following day, initially demanding a ransom of N15 million before negotiations brought the amount down to N1.5 million.

“They called my elder brother demanding N15 million. After bargaining, they ended up collecting N1.5 million before they released him,” she said.

She asserted that every family affected was compelled to pay a ransom before their relatives were eventually released.

“We paid money. The other family paid money. The principal’s family paid ransom first and they released him. About one hour later they released my brother. All of them paid money,” she said.

Elizabeth dismissed claims by the Kogi State Government and security agencies that the victims were rescued without ransom payments.

“We were surprised when we came online yesterday. Somebody called us saying, ‘Thank God, the government rescued your brother.’ We were asking ourselves, rescued? We paid money for this thing,” she said.

She also claimed that while security operatives attempted to locate the kidnappers using drones, the criminals repeatedly received telephone calls warning them whenever security forces tracked their location.

“My brother said security people were using drones to locate them. But anytime they located them, the kidnappers would receive a phone call. Immediately they received the call, they would move them to another location,” she said.

According to her, shortly after the kidnappers relocated, the victims would hear gunfire from the area they had just left.

“Before they would know it, they would start hearing gunshots from where they had just run away. The security people were trying, but it was as if somebody was jeopardising the operation,” she added.

She said the development suggested there could have been an insider leaking operational information to the kidnappers.

Elizabeth also faulted the government’s handling of the victims after their release, saying officials rushed to publicise the development before allowing the victims to receive medical attention.

“Our brother had just regained his freedom. We told him to report at the police station and then go to the hospital because he wasn’t feeling well before he even went for that NECO assignment. Before we knew it, officials gathered around him and posted everything online without even asking the family,” she said.

She said the family was angered that government officials publicised the release immediately without consulting them.

“They did not even ask whether we wanted it made public. My family is not the type that likes publicity. Family matters are supposed to remain within the family,” she said.

Elizabeth also rejected comments by Kogi State Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo suggesting that the examination centre where the abduction occurred was an unauthorised “miracle centre.”

She insisted that her brother was officially deployed to the school by the NECO as an external supervisor.

“When the governor said it was a miracle centre, we asked my brother why he went there. He said, ‘Did I send myself there?’ Before external supervisors go anywhere, they sign at the police station and collect examination materials there. NECO officially posted him there. He didn’t choose the centre himself,” she said.

She questioned why authorities approved the conduct of examinations at the centre if it was indeed illegal.

“If it is truly a miracle centre, why did they collect NECO registration fees from the students? NECO officials are not saying anything,” she said.

She added that although the family had no intention of engaging in a public dispute with the government, they could not allow what they described as false narratives to stand.

“Our brother is back and that’s what matters to us. We don’t want to drag issues with anybody. But they should stop publishing stories about what they did not do,” she said.

SaharaReporters had reported on Thursday that the Kogi State Government announced the release of the four abducted victims, attributing their freedom to a coordinated rescue operation involving the Nigerian Army, the Department of State Services (DSS), the Nigeria Police Force, local vigilantes and other security agencies.

In a statement issued by the Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Femi Fanwo, the government said Governor Ododo had directed the State Security Adviser, Commander Jerry Omodara (Rtd), to coordinate the rescue mission immediately after the abduction.

According to the statement, sustained pressure from security operatives forced the kidnappers to abandon the victims and flee.

The government added that the school principal, the NECO official and the two students were rescued unharmed and taken into the custody of security agencies for debriefing and medical evaluation.

However, the families have disputed the government’s account, insisting that the victims were released only after ransom was paid. They also alleged that repeated information leaks by suspected insiders frustrated security operations by alerting the kidnappers whenever troops closed in on their location.