The Federal Government said that no money was paid to secure the release of the 23 remaining kidnapped train passengers
The Federal Government also stated that plans are ongoing to resume the suspended train service soon.
It however said it will come up with a short and long-term sustainable plan in a few months to ensure the safety of the rail line and passengers.
The Minister of Transportation, Mu’azu Sambo disclosed these in Abuja at a press briefing organised to officially welcome the 23 released kidnapped train passengers on Friday.
The Ministry had hinted that the released victims would be in the ministry but after hours of waiting, the minister explained the reason for their absence
According to him, it was difficult to get them together after reuniting with their families on Thursday.
Speaking on the purported payment of ransom, he said: “It is not appropriate to reveal exactly what measures have been taken to secure the release of hostages of this nature.
“Now, there are two things I want you to bear in mind. Through this incident, it is the position of this government that under no circumstances should there be collateral damage.
“We all know what collateral damage is. In other words, the military and security agencies that have been charged with the responsibility of securing the release of these hostages should not act in a way that will endanger the lives of the same hostages.
“In other words, make sure that no hostage life is lost in the process of securing their release.
“There is a committee made up of some retired generals and some retired public officers of high ranking and status who assisted the military and the security agencies throughout the process of securing the release of these hostages.
“Number three, I want to state categorically that because this government does not support and approve ransom payment, no kobo was paid in exchange for the release of these 23 hostages and other ones as well.”
