Nigeria’s federal government has firmly dismissed allegations that it paid a substantial ransom to Islamist militant group Boko Haram to secure the release of more than 200 pupils and staff abducted from a Catholic boarding school late last year.
The claims, published by the AFP news agency and attributed to unnamed intelligence sources, suggested that a large financial payment was made to ensure the captives’ freedom. Nigeria’s Minister of Information, Mohammed Idris, described the report as “completely false and baseless”, accusing it of undermining the credibility and professionalism of the country’s security forces.
He also categorically denied assertions that two senior Boko Haram commanders were released as part of any agreement.
Police Leadership Change Announced
In a separate development, the presidency confirmed that Nigeria’s police chief, Kayode Egbetokun, has resigned from his post a year before the scheduled end of his tenure.
Presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga said the resignation was due to “pressing family considerations”. Egbetokun is a close ally of President Bola Tinubu.
His deputy, Tunji Disu, has been appointed acting inspector general at a time when Nigeria is grappling with escalating security threats, including widespread kidnapping for ransom.
Abduction and Rescue of Pupils
More than 200 pupils and staff were seized on 21 November when armed men attacked St Mary’s School in Papiri, located in Niger State. The victims were eventually freed by Christmas, with authorities announcing days earlier that all remaining captives had been rescued alive.
Kidnapping has become a lucrative criminal enterprise in parts of Nigeria, involving a range of actors from jihadist groups and criminal gangs—commonly referred to as “bandits”—to armed separatist movements.
Some security analysts cited by AFP claimed the St Mary’s abduction was led by a notorious Boko Haram commander known as “Sadiku”, who has previously been linked to major kidnappings and attacks.
While Boko Haram’s core operations remain concentrated in Borno State, where it launched its insurgency in 2009, splinter factions and affiliated criminal networks now operate across much of Nigeria’s north-west and north-central regions.
Government Pushback on Ransom Allegations
Responding sharply to the AFP report, Idris said its conclusions relied entirely on “shadowy, unnamed sources” and directly contradicted statements issued by Nigeria’s intelligence services and senior lawmakers.
One AFP source alleged that approximately 40 million naira—about $30,000 (£22,000)—was paid for each captive. Another suggested the total ransom amounted to 2 billion naira, or roughly $1.5m.
The report further claimed that the money was flown by helicopter to Boko Haram’s enclave in Gwoza and handed over to a local commander.
“The assertion that ransom was delivered by helicopter to insurgents, with cross-border confirmation of receipt, is fiction,” Idris said.
He added that Nigeria’s domestic intelligence service, the Department of State Services, had dismissed the allegation as “fake and laughable”.
According to the minister, the rescue operation succeeded because Nigeria was confronting what he described as “a structured, profit-driven criminal enterprise” with coordinated intelligence and security action.
“The successful rescue of the pupils, without casualty, was the result of professional intelligence and operational precision,” he said.
Wider Context and International Pressure
Boko Haram first gained global attention in 2014 following the abduction of more than 200 schoolgirls from the town of Chibok. Since then, Nigeria has experienced a surge in mass kidnappings, prompting analysts to warn that ransom payments—whether by families, intermediaries or, in some cases, state authorities—have fuelled what some describe as a “kidnap-for-profit industry”.
A law passed in 2022 criminalised the payment of ransoms, but enforcement remains difficult, and families often resort to paying to secure the release of loved ones.
Security experts quoted in Nigerian media have long argued that official denials may not fully reflect the complexity of negotiations that occur behind closed doors.
The controversy comes at a delicate moment for Abuja, as the government faces increased diplomatic scrutiny, particularly from the United States.
On Monday, a report by a US congressional delegation presented recommendations aimed at addressing what it described as the long-running persecution of Christians in Nigeria.
The proposals were delivered at the White House by Republican lawmaker Riley Moore, who said the findings followed months of fieldwork, expert hearings and consultations with religious leaders and displaced communities in central Nigeria.
“I travelled on a bipartisan delegation to Nigeria and saw with my own eyes the horrific atrocities Christians face, and the instability the Nigerian government must combat,” he said.
The report called for a new bilateral security pact, sanctions and other measures, including a ban on Nigerian beef exports, to pressure armed herder groups into disarming. It also proposed legal reforms to strengthen protections for religious freedom.
Nigeria’s government has yet to formally respond to the recommendations, which stem from concerns raised late last year by the administration of US President Donald Trump.
Trump previously claimed that a “Christian genocide” was taking place in Nigeria—an assertion the Nigerian government has strongly rejected, insisting that Muslims, Christians and non-believers alike have been victims of violence.
