The families also alleged that despite raising more than ₦155 million through community contributions in an effort to secure the victims’ freedom, the kidnappers rejected the ransom. He further alleged that the kidnappers had threatened to force the “beautiful” female captives into marriage while killing the remaining hostages. He said the successful rescue had renewed hope among families in Kaiama that similar action could be taken to free those still being held by terrorists. According to the senator, the National Assembly has consistently approved budgetary allocations requested by security agencies to support counter-terrorism operations. He argued that the persistence of insecurity reflected the complexity of the challenge rather than a lack of financial resources.