An Agence France-Presse (AFP) investigation says the federal government paid a multimillion-dollar ransom to secure the release of up to 230 pupils and staff abducted from St. Mary’s Secondary and Primary School, Papiri, Niger State.
AFP, citing four unnamed intelligence sources familiar with negotiations, reported the government handed over funds to militants to free the victims of the November 21 abduction.
According to sources, the ransom payment ranged from roughly N40 million per hostage to as much as N2 billion overall. One estimate put the total at about $7 million for all captives.
The money was allegedly flown by helicopter to Gwoza, a Boko Haram stronghold in Borno State near the Cameroon border, and handed to a commander identified as Ali Ngulde before any releases occurred.
Sources also claimed that two Boko Haram commanders were freed as part of the arrangement — a move that would appear to contravene Nigeria’s laws criminalising ransom payments to kidnappers and terrorists.
The kidnappers were linked to a Boko Haram cell under a feared commander known as Sadiku, reportedly operating in central Niger State.
The abduction saw pupils and staff taken from the Catholic school; at least 50 escaped captivity soon after the attack.
Government negotiators, led by National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu, conducted about two weeks of talks before the captives were freed, according to sources.
The federal government has rejected the AFP report, describing the allegations as “false and baseless” and a “disservice” to the integrity of Nigeria’s security forces.
The Minister of Information and National Orientation said no ransom was paid and no militant commanders were released, calling the helicopter delivery narrative “fiction.”
Government agencies including the Office of the National Security Adviser and the Department of State Services have refuted claims of ransom payments, urging the media to verify facts before publication.
Officials maintained that the victims were freed through “professional intelligence and operational precision” without paying kidnappers.
The conflicting accounts have sparked debate over transparency in high-risk negotiations with insurgent groups and could impact public confidence in official security strategies.
