Senator Ali Ndume, who represents Borno South, has dismissed allegations that he collected ransom payments or served as a negotiator between kidnappers and the government, insisting he has never seen N1 billion in cash in his life.
Ndume made the clarification on Friday during an interview on Politics Today, a programme aired on Channels Television.
The lawmaker was reacting to claims made by the President of the Borno South Youth Alliance, Samaila Kaigama, who alleged that Ndume played a role in ransom negotiations involving residents of Ngoshe, a community in Borno State, who were abducted by kidnappers.
Rejecting the accusations, Ndume maintained that he had no involvement in any ransom arrangement and described the claims against him as false.
He also stressed that he has never handled or even seen N1 billion in cash, distancing himself from the allegations.
“I have said it already. In my life, I have never seen N1billion cash, not to talk of N5billion,” he said.
The lawmaker reiterated that he had no role in negotiating with terrorists or facilitating ransom payments, maintaining that his only action was to alert security agencies after Kaigama informed him about a video purportedly released by Boko Haram/ISWAP demanding a N5bn ransom.
“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 disagreement with Kaigama began after he rejected any suggestion of negotiating with insurgents or paying ransom.
“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 senator had earlier denied the allegations during an interview on ARISE NEWS, insisting he had never acted, directly or indirectly, as an intermediary between kidnappers and the government or private individuals.
According to him, Kaigama contacted him after insurgents allegedly abducted hundreds of residents of Ngoshe and issued a 72-hour ultimatum demanding a N5bn ransom.
He also urged security agencies to investigate the allegations, describing the matter as one of national security rather than a personal dispute
