By Our Reporter
The Federal Government has firmly denied allegations that it paid a “huge” ransom or released militant commanders to secure the freedom of schoolchildren abducted from St Mary’s Boarding School in Niger State, describing the claims as false, baseless and damaging to the integrity of Nigeria’s security forces.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, said the report, attributed to international wire services and based on unnamed sources, was speculative and misleading.
He maintained that no ransom was paid and no militant commanders were freed in the course of securing the pupils’ release.
The government said the allegations, which cited anonymous “intelligence sources” and individuals purportedly “familiar with the talks”, stood in sharp contrast to clear and on-the-record denials by relevant authorities.
It noted that the Office of the National Security Adviser, the Department of State Services and the leadership of the National Assembly had all publicly refuted claims of any ransom payment.
According to the statement, the report contained internal contradictions, including conflicting accounts of the alleged ransom, which it said exposed the speculative character of the publication and undermined its credibility.
The claim that ransom was delivered by helicopter to insurgents and that there was cross-border confirmation of receipt was described as fictitious.
The Department of State Services was quoted as having dismissed the assertion as “fake and laughable”.
The Federal Government stressed that Nigeria is confronting what it described as a structured, profit-driven criminal enterprise, and insisted that the successful rescue of the pupils without casualties was achieved through professional intelligence gathering and operational precision by security agencies.
While reiterating its respect for press freedom, the government urged media organisations to verify facts thoroughly before publishing reports capable of emboldening criminal elements or undermining troop morale.
It reaffirmed its commitment to safeguarding national security and upholding the professionalism of the country’s armed and intelligence services.
