THE Federal Government has strongly refuted allegations that it paid a multimillion-dollar ransom and released militant commanders to secure the freedom of schoolchildren abducted from St. Mary’s Boarding School in Niger State, describing the claims as false, speculative, and damaging to national security efforts.
News Point Nigeria reports that the rebuttal follows a report by Agence France-Presse (AFP), which alleged that authorities secretly paid a “huge” ransom to secure the release of 230 pupils and staff abducted from St. Mary’s Secondary and Primary School in Papiri, Niger State.
Gunmen stormed the Catholic institution on November 21, abducting nearly 300 pupils and staff members in one of the largest school kidnappings recorded in the state.
At least 50 of the victims later escaped, according to the Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Niger State, Most Rev. Bulus Dauwa Yohanna.
The incident sparked nationwide outrage and renewed concerns over school safety and the persistent threat of banditry and insurgency in parts of northern Nigeria.
AFP, citing four unnamed intelligence sources said to be familiar with the negotiations, reported that the Federal Government paid a multimillion-dollar ransom to secure the hostages’ release.
The report further alleged that two commanders of Boko Haram were released as part of the agreement — a claim that, if true, would directly contravene Nigerian laws prohibiting ransom payments and negotiations with terrorist groups.
According to the publication, the alleged ransom was transported by helicopter to Gwoza in Borno State, described as a stronghold of Boko Haram near the Cameroon border.
In a statement sent to News Point Nigeria on Tuesday, Minister of Information, Mohammed Idris, dismissed the report as fiction built on “shadowy and unnamed sources.”
“The Federal Government states that these allegations are completely false and baseless, and constitute a disservice to the professionalism and integrity of Nigeria’s security forces and the sacrifices they make daily,” the statement read.
He emphasized that no ransom was paid and no militant commanders were freed in exchange for the students.
“For the avoidance of doubt, no ransom was paid, and no militant commanders were freed,” Idris declared.
The government noted that the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), the Department of State Services (DSS), and the leadership of the National Assembly had all publicly denied any ransom payment.
The DSS reportedly described the helicopter delivery claim as “fake and laughable,” dismissing it as a fabrication unsupported by evidence.
The Minister also highlighted what he described as contradictions within the AFP report itself, arguing that conflicting accounts of the alleged ransom undermined the credibility of the claims.
“Such inconsistency underscores a lack of direct knowledge and weakens the narrative being pushed,” the statement added.
The Federal Government maintained that the safe rescue of the pupils without casualties was achieved through coordinated intelligence gathering and precise security operations not financial inducements.
“Nigeria is confronting a structured, profit-driven criminal enterprise. The successful rescue of the pupils, without casualty, was the result of professional intelligence and operational precision,” the statement read.