British High Commission, CDS decry killing of 38 hostages after ransom payment

The British High Commission, yesterday, decried the weekend killing of 38 kidnapped hostages in  Zamfara State, even after over N50 million ransom had been paid.

This came on a day the Chief of Defence Staff, CDS, Gen. Christopher Musa, issued stern warning to Nigerians against providing any form of support to bandits.

Reacting to the killing in Abuja, British Deputy High Commissioner, Ms  Gill Lever, who lamented that only 18 of the hostages were released after the ransom payment, said: “Very frankly, I want to express my condolences to the people of Zamfara State over that horrible kidnap where even when ransom was paid, only a few people were released and others murdered.

“It’s an unspeakable crime that has impacts on society, on communities, on families. It damages people’s mental health and physical well-being, retards economic progress and all the other things that we know well. And we must bring an end to this. 

“We must stop this. We must limit this. Because we all feel passionately and keenly what the terrible impacts of kidnapping do. So my condolences to the people of that state, and to the affected people and to their families and their friends. This is what we want to try and stop.”

We’ll treat anyone supporting bandits as enemy of state, CDS warns

Meanwhile, speaking at an interactive session on government-citizen engagement organised by the Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation, SABMF, in Kaduna, the CDS said anyone contributing to the country’s insecurity, whether directly or indirectly, was an enemy of the state.

“Anyone who is contributing one way or the other to the downfall of our country is an enemy of the state, and we must face him squarely and defeat him,” he said.

Musa emphasised the military’s commitment to securing the north and the entire country.