By Deborah Nnamdi
The Federal Government has dismissed reports alleging that it paid N10 billion and released militant commanders to secure the freedom of abducted schoolchildren in Niger State, describing the claims as false and baseless.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, said the government’s attention had been drawn to a media publication attributed to international wire services, which claimed that a “huge” ransom was paid to facilitate the release of pupils abducted from St. Mary’s Boarding School in Niger State.
Idris said the allegations misrepresented the facts and undermined the integrity and sacrifices of Nigeria’s security agencies.
“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,” he stated.
While reaffirming the government’s respect for press freedom, the minister rejected what he described as a narrative built on unnamed sources.
“While we respect the freedom of the press, we firmly reject a narrative built on shadowy, unnamed sources seeking to undermine the credibility of a sovereign government acting within its laws,” he said.
“For the avoidance of doubt, no ransom was paid, and no militant commanders were freed.”
Idris noted that the report relied entirely on anonymous “intelligence sources” and individuals described as being “familiar with the talks,” despite on-the-record denials from relevant authorities.
He said the Office of the National Security Adviser, the Department of State Services, and the leadership of the National Assembly had all publicly refuted the allegation of ransom payment.
The minister also pointed to what he described as contradictions within the report, saying conflicting accounts of the alleged ransom exposed its speculative nature.
“The report reveals contradictions that expose its speculative character, presenting sharply conflicting accounts regarding the alleged ransom. Such inconsistency underscores a lack of direct knowledge and undermines the credibility of the claims,” he said.
He dismissed as “fiction” the assertion that ransom was delivered by helicopter to insurgents with cross-border confirmation of receipt, noting that the DSS had formally described the claim as “fake and laughable.”
Idris stressed that Nigeria was confronting what he termed a structured, profit-driven criminal enterprise and maintained that the successful rescue of the pupils was achieved without casualties through professional intelligence gathering and operational precision.
He added that the Federal Government remained committed to safeguarding the country and urged the media to verify facts before publishing speculative reports that could embolden criminals or undermine troop morale.
