Report Claims FG Paid N2bn to Secure Release of Kidnapped Pupils

Allegations that the Federal Government paid N2 billion to secure the release of kidnapped pupils from St Mary’s Catholic School have cast fresh scrutiny on Nigeria’s counter-kidnapping policy and the official narrative surrounding the operation.

Agence France-Presse (AFP), citing multiple intelligence sources, reported that the government agreed to pay Boko Haram $7 million — reportedly negotiated down to about N2 billion — in exchange for the release of 230 pupils and staff abducted in November. The report also claimed that the deal included the release of certain Boko Haram commanders.

The pupils were freed on December 22, 2025, in what Nigerian officials at the time described as a successful rescue effort. Authorities celebrated the development as evidence of improved security coordination. However, AFP’s account suggests that negotiations, rather than a military operation, secured their release.

According to the report, the money was flown by helicopter to Gwoza, a known Boko Haram enclave in Borno State, and delivered to a militant commander identified as Ali Ngulde. Due to limited network coverage, the commander reportedly crossed into neighbouring Cameroon to confirm receipt before releasing an initial batch of 100 children.

The mass abduction took place on November 21, 2025, in Papiri, Niger State, where nearly 300 pupils and staff were seized; about 50 escaped during the attack. The incident revived painful memories of past school kidnappings and renewed questions about the safety of educational institutions.

The government has never publicly admitted to paying ransoms to armed groups. When contacted by AFP, the Office of the National Security Adviser declined to comment, while the State Security Service reiterated the long-standing position that the government does not pay ransom.

Yet this alleged payment, if confirmed, would carry serious legal and political implications. In 2022, Nigeria criminalised ransom payments under anti-kidnapping legislation. The law was intended to deter negotiations that fuel the kidnapping economy by cutting off financial incentives. By that standard, a state-sanctioned payment — even in the name of saving lives — would amount to a direct contradiction of federal law.

It also encourages the evolution of kidnapping into a structured, profit-driven industry. A ransom payment of N2 billion does not merely represent a tactical concession; it also injects enormous liquidity into a thriving criminal ecosystem.

In November 2025, the Senate proposed amendments to the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act that would broaden the definition of terrorism to include kidnapping and prescribe the death penalty upon conviction. The proposed reforms signalled a tougher official stance against insecurity.

If confirmed, the alleged payment would sit uneasily alongside that posture, highlighting the tension between hardline legislation and the urgent imperative to secure the safe return of victims. For families of those abducted, the priority is survival. For policymakers, the longer-term challenge remains how to break the cycle of mass abductions without reinforcing the financial incentives that sustain them.

As of now, the government has yet to publicly address the claims.