THE senator representing Borno South, Ali Ndume, has denied allegations that he acted as an intermediary between kidnappers and the government or private individuals, insisting he has never participated in ransom negotiations.
Ndume’s reaction followed allegations by the President of the Borno Youth Alliance, Samaila Kaigama, who accused him of involvement in the handling of an alleged ransom linked to the release of abducted residents of Ngoshe, Borno State.
Speaking on ARISE NEWS on Tuesday, the lawmaker said his only role was to alert security agencies after Kaigama contacted him over a video purportedly released by Boko Haram/ISWAP demanding a N5 billion ransom for the release of 416 abducted residents.
“I have never, directly or indirectly, acted as an intermediary between kidnappers and any government or private individuals. Not at all,” Ndume said.
He explained that after receiving the video, he immediately contacted the National Security Adviser (NSA), the Department of State Services (DSS), the military and other security agencies.
