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The senator representing Borno South, Ali Ndume, has dismissed allegations linking him to ransom negotiations with terrorists, insisting he has never received ransom money or acted as an intermediary between kidnappers and the government.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Friday, Ndume stated that he has never even seen ₦1bn in cash.

“I have said it already. In my life, I have never seen N1billion cash, not to talk of N5billion,” he said.

The senator was reacting to allegations made by the President of the Borno South Youth Alliance, Samaila Kaigama, who accused him of being involved in ransom negotiations following the abduction of residents of Ngoshe in Borno State.

Ndume maintained that his only involvement was to notify security agencies after Kaigama informed him about a video allegedly released by Boko Haram/ISWAP demanding a ₦5billion ransom for the victims.

“After Kaigame came to make those claims on the television, I quickly spoke with the National Security Adviser and the Department of State Services, DSS, on the matter.

“I told them that there is need to bring us and hear him out as he said he wants to be heard, so that he will have the opportunity to prove all these his allegations.

“And the government should take this matter very seriously because it borders on national security. It’s very dangerous. This has to do with international security because ISWAP and all these terrorist organisations are involved,” he said.

Ndume said his relationship with Kaigama deteriorated after he refused to support negotiating with insurgents or contributing to any ransom payment.

“So after he started bothering me about personal contribution to ransom payment, I told him that I do not support negotiation with Boko Haram, not to talk of paying ransom. I think that’s where the problem started.

“He started issuing out all these uncoordinated and contradictory statements about my involvement and the likes,” he added.

The lawmaker noted that he had earlier rejected the allegations during an interview on ARISE NEWS, stressing that he had never, directly or indirectly, served as an intermediary between kidnappers and either the government or private individuals.

According to Ndume, Kaigama first approached him after insurgents allegedly abducted hundreds of residents of Ngoshe and issued a 72-hour ultimatum demanding a ₦5billion ransom.

He also called on security agencies to thoroughly investigate the allegations, arguing that the claims raise serious national security concerns and should not be treated as a personal disagreement.

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The Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, has directed police officers across the country to shoot on sight anyone found carrying illegal firearms, as part of intensified efforts to curb insecurity.

Disu issued the directive on Friday during a stakeholders’ meeting at the Government House in Makurdi, the Benue State capital, saying the move followed President Bola Tinubu’s instruction that the lingering security crisis in the state must be brought to an end.

The police chief maintained that only authorised security personnel are legally permitted to carry firearms, warning that law enforcement agencies would no longer tolerate the unlawful possession of weapons.

“You cannot move around freely carrying arms as if there is no law and order in this country. It will not be tolerated,” he said.

Disu explained that the directive was backed by Force Order 237, which empowers police officers to respond immediately to armed threats without waiting for approval from superior officers.

“We have given them instructions. We have a Force Order 237. Police officers have been instructed that they don’t need to wait for any superior order. They know where to deploy their firearms,” he said.

He said the decision was informed by the increasing number of casualties among security personnel in the line of duty.

“We are tired of losing our men. We are tired of police officers, soldiers, and other members of the security agencies dying anyhow,” the IGP said.

Reaffirming the directive, Disu added: “They have been instructed to shoot at sight. They have been trained to do what is necessary. But we will not succeed without the cooperation of all of you.”

The Inspector-General urged residents to support security agencies by providing timely and credible intelligence, noting that community cooperation remains vital to efforts to combat armed criminality.

Benue State has witnessed repeated attacks by armed groups in recent months, leaving scores dead, displacing thousands of residents and destroying property.

The Federal Government has continued to strengthen security operations in the state by deploying additional personnel and adopting tougher measures aimed at restoring peace and preventing further attacks.

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Former Vice President and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has strongly pushed back against allegations by former President Olusegun Obasanjo, focusing on what he described as the unfair invocation of the late Ghali Umar Na’Abba in the controversy.

In a statement issued by his aide, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku described the claim that he bribed the former Speaker to impeach Obasanjo as reckless and unjust, stressing that the late lawmaker is no longer alive to respond.

He said, “As Africans, we understand the solemn duty of speaking truthfully about the dead. It is therefore deeply troubling that former President Obasanjo has chosen this moment to allege that I gave the late Rt. Hon. Ghali Umar Na’Abba a bribe to impeach him.

“If this allegation were true, why did he never make it while Rt. Hon. Na’Abba was alive? Why wait until the only man who could confirm or refute the claim has departed this world? By invoking a deceased man as the principal witness to such a grave allegation, former President Obasanjo has denied Nigerians the opportunity to hear the other side of the story.

“The late Rt. Hon. Ghali Na’Abba cannot now defend his own integrity or respond to the allegation that he accepted a bribe. It is unfair to his memory and contrary to our cultural values to conscript the dead into contemporary political battles when they no longer have a voice.”

Atiku further noted that the allegation lacks any judicial backing or official determination.

“If there was indeed evidence of any criminal conduct as alleged, Nigerians are entitled to ask why no action was taken at the time by a government that wielded the full powers of the Nigerian state.”

He also questioned the timing of the claims, linking them to political developments ahead of the 2027 general election.

“Coming at a time when the political landscape ahead of the 2027 general election is taking shape, the obvious objective is to besmirch my person and reputation and confer an undeserved political advantage on the former President’s kinsman. Nigerians, however, know better. They are too discerning to be distracted by stale allegations resurrected for political convenience.”

Reiterating the roots of his long-standing differences with Obasanjo, Atiku said his opposition to the former president’s third-term agenda remains a defining issue.

“My offence was that I stood firmly against the unconstitutional third-term agenda. As a democrat, I chose the path of constitutionalism and the rule of law. Rather than surrender democratic principles on the altar of personal ambition, I defended the Constitution and successfully asserted my rights through the courts in a series of landmark legal victories against a sitting President. Those battles are now part of Nigeria’s democratic history. It is evident that the bitterness arising from that defining period has failed to leave former President Obasanjo.”

Atiku added that he would not be drawn into prolonged disputes over past political events while the country faces pressing challenges.

“The task before leaders today is not to rewrite history but to rescue the future. Nigerians are more interested in knowing why food prices continue to soar, why public debt continues to rise despite increased revenues, and why scandal after scandal continues to trail the current administration than in revisiting political disagreements from over two decades ago.”

He concluded by stating that while Obasanjo is free to support any candidate, such support should be declared openly.