6 in 10 Nigerians don’t believe government should pay ransom to insurgents: survey
In Nigeria, nearly six in 10 people believe that the Federal Government should not pay ransom to insurgents to secure the release of abducted persons – according to a local newspaper survey.
The privately-owned newspaper, Daily Trust, said a total of 319 respondents took part in the survey.
Nigeria has engaged in a number of negotiations with militant group, Boko Haram in recent years.
According to Director-General of the Department of State Services, Lawal Daura, the recent release of three lecturers of the University of Maiduguri and 10 women from Boko Haram’s captivity took several months of negotiations and was made possible by the support from both the International Community of the Red Cross and “friendly countries”.
Within the survey, 172 respondents (54%) said the government should not pay ransom to insurgents to secure the release of abducted persons.
However 137 respondents (43%) said the government should indeed pay ransom to insurgents to secure their release.
