President Bola Tinubu has said his administration refused to pay ransom to the abductors of schoolchildren and teachers kidnapped in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.

“We refuse to negotiate for ransom. These criminals wanted us to release from detention members of their criminal gangs who had already been arrested.

“That was one of their conditions, apart from the money they were looking for and we said, “No deal”.

“We are not going to negotiate with criminals. They committed murder and we were ready to finish with them”, Mr Tinubu said.

Mr Tinubu spoke on Thursday in Abuja while receiving traditional rulers from Oyo State at the State House.

“Congratulations on the Oriire Oyo state rescue that succeeded. I think we succeeded with your support, prayers, and I agree with you that we should commend the men and women of the armed forces for their excellent performance,” he said.

The president urged traditional rulers to play a greater role in tackling insecurity and enhancing the capacity of forest guards to combat criminal activities.

On May 18, one of the victims, Michael Oyedokun, a Mathematics teacher at the school, was brutally killed by abductors after being abducted alongside other teachers and pupils. 

The victims, abducted from Ahoro-Esinele and Yawota communities, regained their freedom after spending close to two months in captivity.

On May 15, Peoples Gazette reported that gunmen kidnapped schoolchildren and teachers in Ahoro-Esinele village, Oriie Local Government Area of the state.