The senator representing Borno South, Ali Ndume, has dismissed allegations linking him to ransom negotiations with terrorists, insisting he has never received ransom money or acted as an intermediary between kidnappers and the government.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Friday, Ndume stated that he has never even seen ₦1bn in cash.
“I have said it already. In my life, I have never seen N1billion cash, not to talk of N5billion,” he said.
The senator was reacting to allegations made by the President of the Borno South Youth Alliance, Samaila Kaigama, who accused him of being involved in ransom negotiations following the abduction of residents of Ngoshe in Borno State.
Ndume maintained that his only involvement was to notify security agencies after Kaigama informed him about a video allegedly released by Boko Haram/ISWAP demanding a ₦5billion ransom for the victims.
“After Kaigame came to make those claims on the television, I quickly spoke with the National Security Adviser and the Department of State Services, DSS, on the matter.
“I told them that there is need to bring us and hear him out as he said he wants to be heard, so that he will have the opportunity to prove all these his allegations.
“And the government should take this matter very seriously because it borders on national security. It’s very dangerous. This has to do with international security because ISWAP and all these terrorist organisations are involved,” he said.
Ndume said his relationship with Kaigama deteriorated after he refused to support negotiating with insurgents or contributing to any ransom payment.
“So after he started bothering me about personal contribution to ransom payment, I told him that I do not support negotiation with Boko Haram, not to talk of paying ransom. I think that’s where the problem started.
“He started issuing out all these uncoordinated and contradictory statements about my involvement and the likes,” he added.
The lawmaker noted that he had earlier rejected the allegations during an interview on ARISE NEWS, stressing that he had never, directly or indirectly, served as an intermediary between kidnappers and either the government or private individuals.
According to Ndume, Kaigama first approached him after insurgents allegedly abducted hundreds of residents of Ngoshe and issued a 72-hour ultimatum demanding a ₦5billion ransom.
He also called on security agencies to thoroughly investigate the allegations, arguing that the claims raise serious national security concerns and should not be treated as a personal disagreement.
