By Austine Agbo Emmanuel, Kaduna
The Federal Government has refuted allegations that it paid ransom or released detained militant commanders to secure the freedom of pupils and staff abducted from St. Mary’s Boarding School in Niger State, insisting that the claims are unfounded.
The reaction followed a report by Agence France-Presse (AFP) which alleged that authorities paid a multimillion-dollar ransom to facilitate the release of 230 pupils and staff kidnapped from St. Mary’s Secondary and Primary School, Papiri, Niger State.
The publication cited four intelligence sources said to be familiar with the negotiations and described the alleged payment as huge.
The abduction took place on November 21 at the Catholic institution, where nearly 300 pupils and staff were reportedly taken.
According to the Niger State Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Most Rev. Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, about 50 of the victims later escaped.
AFP further claimed that two Boko Haram commanders were released as part of the arrangement, despite Nigerian laws criminalising ransom payments to kidnappers and terrorist groups.
The report also alleged that the funds were airlifted by helicopter to Gwoza in Borno State, described as a stronghold of Boko Haram near the Cameroon border.
However, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, in a statement issued on Tuesday, dismissed the report as speculative and based on unnamed sources.
He maintained that no ransom was paid and no militant commander was freed in connection with the rescue.
According to him, the allegations were entirely false and undermined the integrity and sacrifices of Nigeria’s security forces.
He emphasised that while the government respects press freedom, it rejects narratives built on anonymous sources aimed at discrediting constituted authorities.
The minister noted that the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), the Department of State Services (DSS), and the leadership of the National Assembly had publicly denied any ransom payment.
He also pointed to what he described as contradictions within the AFP report, arguing that conflicting accounts of the alleged ransom exposed weaknesses in its claims.
The assertion that ransom was delivered by helicopter and confirmed across borders, he said, had been dismissed by the DSS as false.
The government maintained that the safe recovery of the pupils was achieved through coordinated intelligence and operational efforts, reiterating its commitment to tackling terrorism and organised criminality.
It further urged media organisations to verify information before publication to avoid spreading reports that could embolden criminal elements or weaken the morale of security personnel.