Nigeria Allegedly Paid Millions to Secure Release of Kidnapped Pupils, Intelligence Sources Say

Nigeria’s government allegedly paid millions of dollars in ransom to Boko Haram militants to secure the release of pupils and staff abducted from a Catholic boarding school late last year, according to intelligence sources familiar with the negotiations.

The sources told AFP that the payment was part of a deal that led to the release of up to 230 hostages taken from St. Mary’s boarding school in Papiri, Niger State, on November 21. Two Boko Haram commanders were also reportedly freed as part of the arrangement, despite Nigerian law banning ransom payments to kidnappers.

Government officials have consistently denied paying any ransom for the hostages’ release. Authorities maintain that the victims were freed after negotiations without money changing hands.

However, four intelligence sources told AFP that a large ransom was paid to secure the release of the pupils and staff. According to three of the sources, the funds were flown by helicopter to Boko Haram’s stronghold in Gwoza, Borno State, near the Cameroon border, and handed to militant commander Ali Ngulde.

Because communication networks are limited in the remote area, Ngulde reportedly crossed into Cameroon to confirm the delivery of the ransom before the first group of about 100 children was released.

One source estimated the ransom at around 40 million naira per hostage, putting the total payment at roughly $7 million. Another source placed the overall figure at about two billion naira.

Nigeria’s State Security Service rejected the claim that the government paid ransom, saying government agents do not make such payments. A spokesperson added that while the government does not pay kidnappers, families sometimes choose to raise and deliver ransom money to free their relatives.

The mass abduction occurred when gunmen stormed St. Mary’s boarding school and kidnapped nearly 300 pupils and staff members. At least 50 of the victims managed to escape from their captors.

Although Boko Haram did not immediately claim responsibility for the attack, intelligence sources said the operation was led by a militant commander known as Sadiku. He is believed to lead a Boko Haram-linked faction operating in Niger State.

Sadiku has also been linked to the 2022 attack on a passenger train traveling between Abuja and Kaduna. That attack involved gun and bomb assaults and resulted in several passengers being kidnapped and later released after ransom payments.

Security sources said the abducted pupils were held in a camp in Borgu Local Government Area, about 370 kilometres from Minna, the capital of Niger State.

Negotiations for the hostages’ release were reportedly led by Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu. Officials have maintained that Ribadu has secured the release of kidnapping victims in previous cases without paying ransom.

Nigeria has faced a rise in mass kidnappings in recent years, with criminal gangs and armed groups abducting civilians, schoolchildren and travellers to demand ransom payments.

In 2022, the government introduced legislation criminalising ransom payments, with penalties of up to 15 years in prison. Despite the law, ransom payments continue as families seek to free kidnapped relatives.

Data from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project recorded 828 abduction incidents in Nigeria over the past year, many involving multiple victims. Analysts say kidnapping has increasingly become a profitable activity for armed groups operating in different parts of the country.

Security analysts say ransom payments, whether made by families or through intermediaries, have contributed to the persistence of the kidnapping crisis even as authorities publicly deny engaging in such transactions.