President Muhammadu Buhari and his predecessor, Goodluck Jonathan, allegedly paid ransoms to kidnappers, according to former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

When he received members of the Tiv Professionals Group (TPG) at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL) in Abeokuta, Ogun State, on Wednesday, Obasanjo made the shocking remark.

Not just the Buhari government, but also former President Goodluck Jonathan’s, negotiated with kidnappers, according to Obasanjo.

“Government has always paid ransom. Not only this government, even during Jonathan (administration). They paid ransom, but they deny it,” he said.

Obasanjo urged the government to develop a means to deal with kidnappers and bandits, instead of pampering them with ransom payment.

“Some people are still reaching out, and hoping that lives can still be saved. But a situation whereby anybody thinks paying ransom is the way out, that person is folly.

“He’s a blunder. This is because paying a ransom encourages others to do the same. If you don’t want to pay the ransom, you’ll need to be prepared to deal with it aggressively. To deal with it, you need a stick,” he said.

Rumours of ransom payment had emerged in several negotiations between the Buhari administration and Boko Haram terrorists.

There were also speculations of ransom payments in negotiations between state governments and terrorists.

The Buhari government was said to have paid ransom to secure the release of both the Chibok and the Dapchi schoolgirls.

The Chibok schoolgirls were kidnapped on 14 April 2014 during Jonathan’s era.

But four years later, Buhari had his own dose of kidnapping, when the Dapchi girls were captured in February 2018 in Yobe state.

Less than a month after, the girls were released, with one of them, Leah Sharibu held back.

Ransom was suspected, but the Buhari administration vehemently denied it