We Didn’t Pay ₦2bn Ransom to Free Papiri Students, Says FG as PDP Demands Full Disclosure

The Federal Government of Nigeria has firmly denied allegations that it paid ₦2 billion as ransom to secure the release of pupils abducted from St. Mary’s Boarding School in Papiri, Niger State, describing the claims as false and politically motivated.

The controversy followed reports suggesting that a large sum of money was paid to kidnappers to free the students and staff who were abducted from the Catholic school in November. Some accounts also alleged that certain detained militant figures were released as part of negotiations — claims the government has strongly refuted.

In a statement issued in Abuja, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, dismissed the reports as “completely baseless,” insisting that no ransom was paid and no terrorist commanders were freed to secure the students’ release. According to the minister, the rescue of the pupils was achieved through coordinated security operations involving intelligence gathering and inter-agency collaboration.

He maintained that the administration remains committed to its policy of not negotiating with or paying ransom to criminal elements.

The Federal Government did not pay any ransom for the release of the pupils of St. Mary’s School in Niger State.

Any report suggesting otherwise is false and should be disregarded,” the statement read. However, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called for transparency over the circumstances surrounding the students’ release. In a reaction, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, urged the government to provide a comprehensive account of how the freedom of the abductees was secured.

The PDP warned that any form of ransom payment — direct or indirect — could embolden criminal gangs and worsen Nigeria’s kidnapping crisis.

The party stressed that clarity from the government would help address public concerns and reinforce trust in security operations.

The allegations reportedly originated from an international media report citing unnamed intelligence sources who claimed that substantial funds were delivered to insurgents to facilitate the release. The Federal Government has rejected the report in its entirety.

Kidnapping for ransom remains a major security challenge across parts of Nigeria, particularly in the North-West and North-Central regions. The issue of ransom payments has generated intense debate, especially as the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act 2022 criminalises the payment of ransom to terrorist groups.