The Federal Government on Tuesday dismissed allegations that it paid a multimillion-dollar ransom to terrorists for the release of abducted pupils and staff of St. Mary’s Boarding School in Niger State, describing the report as false, speculative and damaging to national security efforts.
The government was reacting to a publication by Agence France-Presse which claimed that authorities paid a “huge” sum and released two commanders of Boko Haram to secure the freedom of 230 hostages.
The abduction occurred on November 21 at St. Mary’s Secondary and Primary School in Papiri, where nearly 300 pupils and members of staff were reportedly taken by gunmen.
About 50 of the victims later escaped, according to the Niger State Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria.
AFP, citing four unnamed intelligence sources, alleged that the ransom was transported by helicopter to Gwoza, a known insurgent enclave in Borno State near the Cameroon border.
The report further claimed that the payment contravened Nigerian laws prohibiting ransom payments to terrorists.
But in a strongly worded statement, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, said the allegations were “completely false and baseless.”
He said, “For the avoidance of doubt, no ransom was paid and no militant commanders were freed. These allegations constitute a disservice to the professionalism and integrity of Nigeria’s security forces and the sacrifices they make daily.”
Idris faulted the reliance on anonymous sources, noting that the report contradicted official positions earlier stated by security agencies.
According to him, the Office of the National Security Adviser, the Department of State Services and the leadership of the National Assembly had all publicly denied any ransom payment.
He described as “fiction” the claim that money was ferried by helicopter to insurgents, adding that the DSS had dismissed the narrative as “fake and laughable.”
The minister maintained that the rescue of the pupils was achieved through coordinated intelligence gathering and operational precision by security forces, without casualties.
“Nigeria is confronting a structured, profit-driven criminal enterprise,” he said. “The successful rescue of the pupils without casualty was the result of professional intelligence and operational efficiency.”
The government also urged media organisations to verify sensitive security-related information before publication, warning that speculative reports could embolden criminal elements and undermine troop morale.
Kidnapping for ransom has remained a major security challenge across parts of the country, with authorities repeatedly insisting that official policy forbids ransom payments to terrorists and criminal gangs.
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