The Borno State Government has rejected claims that money changed hands to secure the release of 360 people held by terrorists in the Mandara Mountains.
Commissioner for Information and Internal Security, Usman Tar, said this on Channels TV’s The Morning Brief Monday. He insisted the rescue was “purely intelligence-driven” and carried out by the military with DSS support.
Operation Hadin Kai announced Sunday that Special Forces and Sector 1 troops freed the victims from a Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad enclave. Lt Col Haruna Sani said weeks of intel gathering and covert reconnaissance led to the operation. The abductees, men, women and children, were taken from communities near Ngoshe and held in harsh conditions.
When asked about ransom reports, Tar pushed back: “Who paid the ransom? To who? Where is the evidence? We are the operatives on ground. There was no ransom payment. A daring military operation with DSS intel support rescued 360 citizens. That is the fact.”
He also said Boko Haram has shifted from ideology to crime. “The original ideologues are gone. What’s left is a big business of abduction and exploitation. We’re dealing with criminals out to terrorize our people, and we won’t relent,” he added.
