The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said this while speaking on a radio programme monitored by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Lagos.
He said insinuations in some quarters that the government had paid a ransom to secure the release of the abductees were wrong, saying the government would not do anything that would reward any act against the law.
Mohammed also denied that the government paid a ransom to secure the release of over 300 children abducted by bandits in Kankara, Katsina recently.
“It is a lie, we did not pay any ransom to secure the release of school children in Kankara and we have not paid a dime to secure the release of students of Kagara and others abducted by bandits.
“We will not pay because that is not the way to go. Other options to get the abductees released are on the table, but giving money to get them is a no,” he said.
Mohammed assured Nigerians that the government would do what was right to get the abductees and others in captivity released soon.
On whether it was right for some Nigerians to visit bandits and engage them on the need to embrace peace, the minister said there was nothing wrong with that.
He said so long as the intention was right and the ultimate objective was peace, the government was not opposed to anything that would promote peace in the country.
“After the war, people still sit to dialogue. So if some people have taken it upon themselves to visit these people so that they can embrace peace, I don’t think there is anything wrong with that,” he said.
