A report by Agence France-Presse (AFP) has alleged that the administration of President Bola Tinubu paid over N2bn in ransom to secure the release of Niger State school pupils.
The report claims that the funds were used to secure the release of over 300 students and staff members from St. Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri, Niger State, who were abducted in late 2025.
While the administration had initially credited the rescue to “coordinated security operations,” these new allegations suggest a secret deal that included the release of high-profile Boko Haram commanders.
According to sources cited in the investigative report, the negotiation with the terrorists was allegedly led by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA).
It is further alleged that the Tinubu government paid the N2bn ransom via helicopter to militant strongholds in the northeast. The funds were allegedly transported to Boko Haram’s enclave in Gwoza, Borno State, near the Cameroon border. The money was said to have been handed over to Ali Ngulde, a senior Boko Haram commander.
This contradicts the official “no-ransom” policy signed into law in 2022, which criminalizes the payment of money to kidnappers.
Also, Tinubu had vowed not to negotiate with terrorists. He had also announced that bandits and foreign-linked mercenaries would be officially categorized and treated as terrorists.
The President said the reclassification of bandits and foreign-linked mercenaries as terrorists is a cornerstone of his administration’s new security architecture, aimed at giving the military and intelligence agencies broader legal and operational powers to eliminate non-state actors threatening the country’s sovereignty.
Speaking while presenting the 2026 budget appropriation bill, the President emphasized that the era of treating armed groups with “kid gloves” is over.
However, one source quoted by the report claimed the government paid approximately N40 million per hostage, estimating the total at around $7 million. Others pegged the figure at N2 billion.
Due to poor communications in the remote region, Ngulde reportedly crossed into Cameroon to confirm receipt of the ransom before the first batch of 100 children was released.
The investigation fingered a feared Boko Haram figure known as Sadiku as the mastermind of the kidnapping.
Sadiku, already infamous for hijacking a passenger train from Abuja in 2022 and extracting hefty ransoms, allegedly operates a terror cell in Niger State despite the group’s traditional stronghold in the northeast.
Also, as part of the negotiations, two Boko Haram commanders were also reportedly freed as part of the negotiations.
This comes as the Nigerian government has repeatedly denied paying any ransom.
Nigeria’s Department of State Services (DSS) insisted, “Government agents don’t pay ransoms.”
The mass abduction occurred on November 21, 2025, in Papiri, central Niger State, where nearly 300 pupils and staff were taken during the attack. About 50 reportedly escaped in the chaos, while the remaining victims were held in captivity.
On December 22, 2025, Nigerian authorities publicly celebrated the successful rescue operation that led to the safe return of the victims.
