Former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Pantami has opened up on his decision to support payment of ransom to rescue five sisters abducted by gunmen in Abuja.
He spoke following the abduction of six sisters and their father in the Bwari area council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The killing of one of them has sparked outrage in the past days.
However, ex-minister Pantami disclosed in a tweet on his X handle on Sunday, January 14, that his friend, whose name was not mentioned offered to contribute N50 million to their release.
He explained that as much as he does not support paying ransom to criminals, he has resorted to soliciting the ransom after the kidnappers killed one of the sisters.
Pantami also blamed security agencies for failing to track calls and other digital imprints of kidnappers after the completion of the synchronisation of Subscriber Identification Modules (SIMs) with National Identification Numbers (NINs), which was done in 2022.
He said: “Alhamdu lil Laah! I am personally not in support of paying ransom to criminals.
“However, since it becomes clear, we lost our daughter Nabeeha yesterday, and the 5 remaining daughters have been threatened, as I spoke with the father on the matter yesterday and today.
“Furthermore, I spoke with a friend and a brother who offered to pay the remaining 50 million Naira of the 60m immediately.
“I conveyed the account number of the father of our daughters, Mansoor Al-Kadriyar, to the friend and brother to send the money directly. Any additional amount earlier generated from yesterday, the father can use to treat the daughters and other family members in sha Allah.
“May the Almighty Allah reward the bother and friend with Jannatul Firdaus for the donation. May He also reward all those who contributed in any way with Jannatul Firdaus, too.
“May He also forgive Nabeeha and rescue her sisters. May the Almighty also help our security agencies to bring an end to these challenges. May Nigeria be a better place for all of us. I love Nigeria. #Najeebahandhersisters”