by Abu Ismail
Abuja— An explosive investigation by Agence France-Presse (AFP), citing multiple intelligence sources, has uncovered that the administration of President Bola Tinubu secretly paid a multimillion-dollar ransom to Boko Haram militants to secure the release of up to 230 pupils and staff abducted from St. Mary’s Secondary and Primary School in Papiri, Niger State.
The mass abduction took place on **November 21, 2025**, when armed gunmen stormed the Catholic boarding school in the rural community of Papiri, central Niger State, seizing nearly 300 pupils and staff—initial reports from the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) put the figure at 315 students and staff, including 303 students and 12 teachers. At least 50 victims managed to escape shortly after the kidnapping.
Following two weeks of intense negotiations led by National Security Adviser **Nuhu Ribadu**, the captives were released in stages. An initial group of about 100 children was freed earlier in December 2025, with the remaining approximately 130 handed over to authorities in Minna, Niger State's capital, around December 22, 2025. Officials later confirmed all victims had been accounted for and reunited with their families.
However, four intelligence sources familiar with the talks told AFP that the government paid a "huge" ransom to facilitate the releases. Estimates of the payment vary: one source claimed the terrorists demanded around **40 million naira per person**, totaling approximately **$7 million** (based on exchange rates at the time), while another put the overall figure at about **2 billion naira** (roughly $1.2–1.5 million USD, though some reports cited higher equivalents up to N10 billion in sensationalized accounts). The funds were allegedly transported by **helicopter** to **Gwoza** in Borno State—a notorious Boko Haram stronghold near the Cameroon border—and handed over to a militant commander identified as **Ali Ngulde**. Due to poor network coverage in the area, Ngulde reportedly crossed briefly into Cameroon to confirm receipt of the money.
As part of the deal, the government also released **two Boko Haram commanders**. The abductors were linked to a faction of Boko Haram led by a commander known as **Sadiku**, who has previously been associated with the 2022 Abuja-Kaduna train attack.
The revelations directly contravene Nigerian law. A 2022 amendment to the **Terrorism (Prevention) Act** makes it a felony—punishable by at least **15 years' imprisonment**—for anyone, including government officials, to pay or facilitate ransom to kidnappers or terrorists. The amendment was intended to curb the rising spate of abductions for ransom across the country.
Nigerian authorities, including the **Department of State Services (DSS)**, have repeatedly and firmly denied paying any ransom. Officials insisted that "government agents don’t pay ransoms" and maintained this position throughout the crisis and in response to earlier similar allegations. The federal government has not issued an official comment specifically addressing the AFP investigation's claims.
This incident echoes a pattern of mass school abductions in Nigeria, including the infamous 2014 Chibok girls kidnapping by Boko Haram, as well as more recent cases in Dapchi (2018), Jangebe (2021), and others where ransom payments have been alleged but officially denied.
The AFP report, published on February 23, 2026, has sparked widespread outrage and renewed calls for transparency in how the government handles kidnapping crises amid persistent insecurity in the region.
Abuja Network News
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