Nigeria: Police say no ransom paid for Turkish hostages

By Olarewaju Kola

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (AA) – No ransom was paid for the release of four Turkish hostages held for a week by a gang of armed men in Nigeria’s Kwara State, police said Friday.

Police Commissioner Kayode Egbetokun said at a press conference that the expatriates were released "unconditionally".

"One member of the gang named Buba was nabbed in Gbugbu village with an AK47 rifle on Thursday, while another member involved in negotiating the ransom was nabbed on the morning of 26/07/19.

"These arrests put pressure on the remaining gang members to release the Turkish hostages unconditionally," he said.

While showing the freed men to journalists, he said the police are searching for the other gang members.

The Turkish nationals -- Yasin Colak (33), Sener Pasa (40), Ergun Yurdakul (35) and Seyit Emre Celik (25) -- immediately underwent a preliminary medical check-up at a police facility in Ilorin, the capital of Kwara State.