The Federal Government paid about N2 billion to Boko Haram to secure the release of pupils and staff abducted from St Mary’s Catholic School in Niger State, intelligence sources told AFP.
The report said about 230 pupils and members of staff were seized when gunmen stormed the boarding school in the Papiri area of Niger State on November 21, 2025.
50 of the victims were said to have escaped from captivity before negotiations for the remaining hostages were concluded.
Sources told AFP that the ransom was delivered by helicopter to terrorists’ stronghold in Borno State and handed to a local Boko Haram commander, Ali Ngulde.
Due to the lack of communications cover in the remote area, Ngulde was said to have crossed into Cameroon to confirm delivery of the ransom before the first group of 100 children were released.
The sources further revealed that two Boko Haram commanders were freed as part of the agreement, a development that would run contrary to Nigerian law, which criminalises the payment of ransom to kidnappers.
Four intelligence sources familiar with the talks disclosed that the government paid a “huge” ransom to get the abducted victims.
One source put the total ransom at N40 million per head – around $7 million in total – while another put the figure at N2 billion overall.
Presidency, Niger police speak on release of remaining 130 Catholic school students
The pupils and staff were eventually released after about two weeks of negotiations reportedly led by the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu. However, the Federal Government maintained that no ransom was paid to secure their freedom.
The Department of State Services (DSS) also denied that any ransom was paid, insisting that government officials do not negotiate or make payments to kidnappers, although it noted that families are sometimes involved in efforts to secure the release of their relatives.
Boko Haram had not previously been directly linked to the Papiri abduction, but AFP sources said a feared commander operating in parts of Niger State was responsible for the attack.
The incident adds to Nigeria’s long-running crisis of mass abductions. Figures compiled by the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) show that hundreds of people were kidnapped across the country in the past year, despite laws aimed at discouraging ransom payments.
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