Nigerian govt denies ransom payment for Niger pupils as ADC demands probe

The Federal Government has rejected claims that it paid a ransom or released militant commanders to secure the freedom of schoolchildren abducted from St. Mary’s Boarding School, Papiri, Niger State.

In a statement on Tuesday, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, described the allegations as “completely false and baseless,” insisting that the rescue was achieved through professional security operations.

The denial followed reports by AFP alleging that millions of dollars were paid to Boko Haram and two commanders released as part of the deal. The report claimed ransom payments were delivered in cash by helicopter to insurgents in Gwoza, Borno State.

Idris dismissed the claims saying:

“For the avoidance of doubt, no ransom was paid, and no militant commanders were freed. The assertion that ransom was delivered by helicopter to insurgents is fiction. The DSS has formally dismissed this claim as fake and laughable.”

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The African Democratic Congress (ADC), through its National Publicity Secretary Bolaji Abdullahi, warned that if the allegations were true, they would undermine Nigeria’s counter-terrorism efforts.

“What this report would mean is that the government has been doing brisk business with terrorists all along and passing off ransom payments as rescue operations,” Abdullahi said.

The party urged the government to clarify whether any ransom was paid or detainees released, stressing that ransom payments contradict the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) also demanded an end to ransom payments, warning that such practices embolden kidnappers. In a statement, PDP spokesman Ini Ememobong cited statistics showing ransom payments had reached a ₦2.3 trillion economy between May 2023 and April 2024, with over 2.2 million Nigerians kidnapped during that period.

The opposition party argued that ransom payments only strengthen criminal groups and called for stronger tracking of illicit funds and empowerment of the Multi-Agency Kidnap Fusion Cell to reduce abductions.

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