ACF: Don’t pay ransom, negotiate with bandits

The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has expressed its opposition to the payment of ransom to secure the release of any abducted citizen of the country.

The body, however, says that it is not against negotiations with the bandits.

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The ACF’s position was contained in a statement over the freedom regained by students of the Federal College of Forestry Mechanisation, Afaka in Kaduna State who were in captivity for 55 days.

Daily Trust reports that 27 students who were part of the 37 abducted from the school on March 11, 2021, regained their freedom on Wednesday after a bandit was released and about N15 million was paid as ransom.

However, the ACF in a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Emmanuel Yawe, said it rejoiced with the families of the students and other Nigerians on the news that the last batch of 27 students were released.

Yawe said the forum was grateful to Nigerians who risked their lives in the “delicate negotiating” process to free the abducted students but expressed regrets that millions of Naira were alleged to have been paid to the bandits to secure the release of the students.

“The ACF is against the payment of such ransom even though we agree with negotiating with bandits.

“We appeal to those bandits holding other students at Greenfield University also to set them free without further delay. Having killed five of them in cold blood, killing more will certainly not help matters.

Whatever may be the grievances of the kidnappers against society, spilling innocent blood will not be a solution,” he said.

In another development, the ACF on Sunday also said it received with shock, news of the death of Pastor Oluwadamilare Temitayo Adeboye, the son of the General overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) who passed on in his sleep.

The forum said it was sure that “as a man of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye has taken the death of his third son whom he fondly called a miracle child in good faith”.