A relative of one of the Ahmadu Bello University students kidnapped on Abuja-Kaduna road on Tuesday has accused the police of misleading the public as to how the students regained their freedom.

He refuted claim by the police that the captives were rescued, saying the relatives of the kidnapped students paid ransom to secure their freedom.

On Wednesday, the Kaduna police command said the three students were released by their abductors after much pressure but did not say a ransom was paid.

“The Command wishes to state that, on the said date, August 26, at about 18:50hrs, armed men in military uniform intercepted some commuters near Masari village along Kaduna-Abuja Expressway, opened fire on the vehicles, in the process kidnapped six persons,” a statement issued by Yakubu Sabo, the command’s public relations officer, read.

“Due to the prompt response of the Police and other security agents to the scene, three people were later released by the hoodlums due to intensive combing within the general area.”

Bashir Ahmad, personal assistant to the president on new media, posted a tweet quoting the police claim, prompted a reaction from Sadiq Ango, a Twitter user, who said the police lied and that “it took us 48 long hours of negotiations with the kidnappers to secure the release of our sisters to us, not the police. Ransom was paid in full as negotiated by the three families”