Niger State Commissioner of Information, Alhaji Mohammed Idris Sani, has described his release as divine intervention, adding that “I am proud that the state government did not pay the N500 million ransom demanded by the bandits else I would have resigned”.
The Commissioner while speaking with Journalists on Friday, after being received by Speaker of the Niger State House of Assembly, Honorable Abdullahi Bawa Wuse and some members of the Executive Council in Minna, said he was made to sleep in the rains for some days before his abductors decided to give him the tarpaulin they used in sleeping to keep him from the rains.
While describing his abduction as dehumanizing, degrading and humiliating, Idris said: “I was pushed to a limit I do not wish for anybody.
“I went through lots of trials in their hands; it’s not an experience that I will pray for my greatest enemy.
“They picked me from my house after breaking all the doors. They took me to a no man’s land in the middle of nowhere.
“I was there exposed to the rains for 48 hours with neither food nor water given to me, with my hands and legs tied.
“They bear me up but instead of them breaking me, I started breaking them. They started giving me bread and water, they untied me and they began to show concern.
“They gave me the tarpaulin they used to cover themselves when they sleep and allowed me to use it to cover myself in the rains.”
Idris described his release as miraculous and God’s will. “Nobody paid any ransom, I was not rescued, I was released. It is just a miracle.
“I believe that it’s a miracle, God touched their hearts to release me to reunite with my family,” the commissioner said.
He hailed the Governor Abubakar Sani Bello-led government for not yielding to the Bandits’ demand, saying, “I am proud that the government did not pay the ransom, otherwise I would have resigned.
“I thank the government for standing by their words; they were able to protect the integrity of our government.
“If the government had intervened I would have resigned because that means we would have been going back on our words.”
Among the dignitaries at the Speaker’s residence are Commissioner for Budget & Planning, Hon. Mamman Musa, Commissioner for Youths & Sports, Hon. Emmanuel Umar, and the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Information.
