The Federal Government has announced that no ransom was paid for the release of two Kaduna-based journalists, AbdulGafar Alabelewe of The Nation Newspaper and AbdulRaheem Audu of Blueprint Newspaper, who were abducted alongside Mr. Alabelewe’s wife and two children.

Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, emphasized that their release demonstrates the commitment of President Bola Tinubu’s administration to combating insecurity.

In a statement released on Sunday by Rabiu Ibrahim, Special Assistant (Media) to the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Idris welcomed the journalists’ return and urged Nigerians to trust in the current administration’s efforts to secure the nation.

“We are most grateful for what the NSA and our security agencies have done. We are aware that this is part of your ongoing effort to ensure that all kidnapped victims are rescued alive and reunited with their families,” said Idris. He assured the public that all kidnapping victims would be rescued without any ransom payments, highlighting the government’s resolve to address the issue of insecurity.

The National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, confirmed that the five victims were rescued through a combined effort of security agencies in a swift search-and-rescue operation. Ribadu reiterated the commitment of security agencies to eliminating kidnapping and banditry, aiming to ensure the safety and security of all Nigerians.

Mr. Alabelewe expressed his gratitude to the federal government for its quick intervention. “The rescue mission which brought us out of the bush yesterday (Saturday) gave us hope in our country and gave us confidence to believe that the government is serious about tackling this problem of kidnapping. I never thought that within a week of our kidnap, we could get out,” Alabelewe said, as quoted by Ibrahim.