The reported payment of N6 million and N3 million by families of abducted prospective corps members has raised fresh questions about how 20 victims regained their freedom in Imo State.
The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has challenged President Bola Tinubu, Governor Hope Uzodimma and the police to explain conflicting accounts surrounding the victims’ release.
While the police attributed their release to sustained search-and-rescue operations, the Imo State Government maintained that no ransom was paid.
However, accounts attributed to some parents suggest that money was raised and allegedly paid to secure their children’s freedom.
One of the mothers, Alirat Wahab, reportedly told News Central Television that her family paid N6 million after the kidnappers demanded money for their son’s release.
“We only had N5.5m at the time, but they insisted on N6m,” she reportedly said.
Her husband also claimed that parents pooled resources, obtained loans and solicited contributions from relatives, friends and sympathisers to meet the abductors’ demands.
Another mother reportedly said she paid N3 million after struggling to raise the money and sending someone to Imo State to deliver it.
Reacting to the conflicting accounts, HURIWA demanded an urgent explanation from the Federal Government, the Imo State Government and the Nigeria Police Force.
The rights group said the allegations had not been independently verified but insisted that the families’ accounts warranted an impartial investigation.
HURIWA argued that a security operation and a possible ransom payment were not mutually exclusive, urging the authorities to establish whether money changed hands and how the victims were eventually released.
It called on the Inspector-General of Police to provide a detailed account of the operation and clarify whether security operatives knew about any ransom negotiations or payments.
The association also challenged Uzodimma to explain the basis of his administration’s denial of ransom payment and reconcile it with the parents’ reported claims.
HURIWA urged Tinubu and the Imo governor to apologise to Nigerians if investigations establish that official statements created a misleading impression about the circumstances surrounding the release.
The group warned that failure to resolve the controversy could further erode public confidence in security institutions amid persistent concerns over kidnapping and terrorism.
It also called on Tinubu to review the country’s security architecture and strengthen measures to protect Nigerians, particularly travellers on highways.
HURIWA maintained that any public official found to have deliberately misrepresented material facts should face appropriate action in accordance with the law.
Although the association welcomed the return of the 20 prospective corps members, it insisted that their release must not end the search for answers.
The police and Imo State Government’s accounts have yet to be reconciled with the parents’ reported claims.
Independent verification is needed to establish whether ransom was paid and the precise circumstances of the victims’ release.