The Federal Government on Tuesday said 230 victims comprising schoolchildren and teachers of St. Mary’s Catholic School, Papiri, Niger State, were rescued through “professional intelligence and operational precision.”

The Bola Tinubu-led government was reacting to a story by the Agence France Presse on Monday that it paid about N10 billion and released two top Boko Haram commanders to the terrorists before securing the pupils and release.

The minister of information, Idris Mohammed, dismissed the report in a statement on Tuesday.

“The attention of the Federal Government of Nigeria has been drawn to a publication circulating in the media, attributed to international wire services, alleging that the Nigerian Government paid a “huge” ransom, including the release of militant commanders, to secure the freedom of the schoolchildren abducted from St. Mary’s boarding school in Niger State,” Mr Idris said

He added, “The Federal Government states that these allegations are completely false and baseless, and constitute a disservice to the professionalism and integrity of Nigeria’s security forces and the sacrifices they make daily. While we respect the freedom of the press, we firmly reject a narrative built on shadowy, unnamed sources seeking to undermine the credibility of a sovereign government acting within its laws. For the avoidance of doubt, no ransom was paid, and no militant commanders were freed.”

The information minister said Nigeria was confronting a structured, profit-driven criminal enterprise, adding that the successful rescue of the pupils, without casualty, was the result of professional intelligence and operational precision.

He stated, “The Federal Government remains unwavering in its commitment to security and urges the media to verify facts before publishing speculative reports that risk emboldening criminals or undermining troop morale.”

According to the minister, the report that the federal government paid N10 billion ransom relied entirely on anonymous “intelligence sources” and individuals “familiar with the talks,” in contrast to the clear and on-the-record denials issued by constituted authorities.

“The report itself reveals contradictions that expose its speculative character, presenting sharply conflicting accounts regarding the alleged ransom. Such inconsistency underscores a lack of direct knowledge and undermines the credibility of the claims. The assertion that ransom was delivered by helicopter to insurgents, with cross-border confirmation of receipt, is fiction. The DSS has formally dismissed this claim as fake and laughable,” Mr Idris said.

Citing two sources in the report, the AFP claimed that, “The total ransom at N40 million per head—around $7 million in total,” while “another put the figure lower at N2 billion overall.”

On November 20, about 300 pupils and teachers of St. Mary’s Catholic School, Papiri, Niger, were kidnapped by terrorists.

While 50 of the pupils escaped between November 21 and 22, the government announced that it secured the release of 100 of the pupils.

On December 21, 2025, the government announced the release of remaining 130 pupils and teachers in the terrorists’ den.