One of the two journalists kidnapped along with their families in Kaduna penultimate week, AbdulGafar Alabelewe of The Nation newspaper, has thanked the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, saying he never expected that they would be rescued within one week.
Alabelewe spoke on behalf of himself, his colleague, AbdulRaheem Aodu of Blueprint newspapers, and their families.
He said the swift intervention by the security agencies and their eventual rescue gave them hope in Nigeria and confidence that the government was serious about tackling the problem of kidnapping in the country.
The journalist who spoke when the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, received them from the NSA, expressed gratitude.
His words: “The rescue mission which brought us out of the bush yesterday gave us hope in our country and gave us confidence to believe that the government is serious about tackling this problem of kidnapping. I never thought that within a week of our kidnap we could get out.
“We are grateful that the government swung into action and ensured that we were released.”
Speaking earlier, the minister welcomed the release of the two-Kaduna based journalists and their families.
The minister commended security agencies for the speedy recovery of the victims and expressed sympathy to the two families
Said he: “We are most grateful of what you have done. We are aware that this is part of your ongoing effort to ensure that all kidnapped victims are rescued alive and reunited with their families.
“I want to urge Nigerians to keep faith with the current administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and our security agencies. The security agencies under the coordination of the NSA are working tirelessly to ensure that all those who have been taken into unlawful custody are freed without paying any ransom.”
Speaking earlier, the NSA said the five victims were rescued following combined effort of security agencies which led to swift search and rescue operation.
