Ali Ndume, the Senator representing Borno South, has publicly rejected claims that he acted as a middleman for kidnappers or handled ransom payments. Responding to accusations from Samaila Kaigama, the head of the Borno South Youth Alliance, Ndume stated on Channels Television that he has never even possessed the massive sums of money cited in the allegations.
The controversy stems from the kidnapping of residents in Ngoshe, Borno State. Kaigama alleged that terrorists demanded N5 billion, implicating the senator in the process. Ndume clarified that he never negotiated with insurgents. Instead, he claimed he promptly alerted the National Security Adviser and the DSS upon hearing of the demands. The senator suggested that the friction between him and Kaigama began when he refused to support the payment of ransoms to Boko Haram or ISWAP.
Ndume insisted that these claims are defamatory and plans to pursue legal recourse against Kaigama. He has urged security services to conduct a rigorous investigation into the matter, characterizing the false accusations as a threat to national security. The lawmaker maintained that his primary action was reporting the incident to the appropriate authorities, not facilitating criminal exchanges.
