- * Says 'I Would Have Resigned If Govt Had Paid Ransom'
By Princess Simon (Bureau Chief, North Central)
Niger State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Alhaji Mohammed Sani Idris, on Friday, August 13, 2021, recalled his four days experience in the den of suspected armed bandits who abducted him from his house at Baban-Tunga village in Tafa Local Government Area last Sunday.
The Commissioner spoke shortly after he was received in Minna, the state capital, by the Speaker of the Niger State House of Assembly, Hon. Abdullahi Bawa Wuse. He pointed out that though the kidnappers had no good intentions for him and his family, God changed their hearts to show mercy on him by allowing him to go free.
“I give all glory to God. It is not our doing or by our capacity. It is God's miracle. God has been so miraculous. They came with an intention that they get either N200 million from me or my life and they left with no money and l also left with my life intact”, the Commissioner said.
Though it wasn’t all rosy in his captor’s den, the Commissioner who said he is happy that no ransom was paid for his release said, “I went through lots of trials in their hands, lots of dehumanizing things but I give glory to God that I am alive and safe”.
“One thing I am proud of is that I am part of this government. In fact, the first thing I did when I came out was to send a text to my Governor to thank him for having the strength of heart not to allow any state machinery to intervene before my release”.
“We decided in council that the Niger state government is aversed to payment of ransom to bandits for any situation”. He added that it was good that the state government or anyone concerned did not pay any sum of money to secure his release from captivity.
Idris said, “They came with recordings where I made statements emphasizing this and reiterating it to them that as a government in Niger state, we don't pay ransom to bandits. I believe that we will succeed”.
The commissioner who was visibly glad to be alive and out of the den said, “I thank the government for standing by that collective resolve. They were able to protect the integrity of our government. For me, it turned out this way: we were struggling, myself and my brothers (the bandits). I was there but I wasn't thinking of myself”.
“I was thinking of the people and government of Niger state because I realized that if God should intervene and ensure that the government does not intervene in my affair. I prefer to lose my life than to take the government to the washers and we succeeded”.
“Apart from the beatings, I came out unscathed and without paying a dime. People will be surprised but I am a believer. When they captured me, what I did was to remember that God has promised to take us through trials and tribulations and that for those that can show resilience and withstand this, he promised us a lot”.
Sani Idris hinted that trekking the long-distance almost all through the night wasn’t that easy. “They took me on a hill. I saw kidnappers and bandits shedding tears. I held onto the leader and told him that I forgive them for all the humiliation they have taken me through”.
The Commissioner told journalists how his abductors began to shed tears and said they pray that their meeting with him will end their involvement in banditry. “If the government had intervened in my case, I would have resigned because that means we would have been going back on our words”.
Meanwhile, the Niger State Police Command has attributed the safe rescue of Sani Idris to sustained pressure and trailing of the hoodlums by the joint security force comprising; the military, police, and local vigilante groups who acted swiftly on hearing the news about his kidnap.
A statement on Friday by DSP Wasiu A. Abiodun, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), for Commissioner of Police, Niger State Command, however, called on members of the public to always volunteer useful information and intelligence suggestions to enable the police to promptly intervene and or be proactive in dealing with security situations in the state.
“It would be recalled that on 8/08/2021 at about 2345 hrs, the said victim was abducted by unknown gunmen in his residence at Babban-Tunga village, Tafa LGA of the state. Upon receipt of the information, the Command immediately mobilized joint police, military, and vigilante team to the area for manhunt of the hoodlums intending to rescue the victim”.
The statement however said, “As a result of sustained pressure and trailing of the hoodlums by the joint team, the victim was released by the abductors at about 21:30 hours and he surfaced at Kofa dam area. He was later debriefed and immediately taken to a hospital for medical attention”. NNL.
