Nigeria Allegedly Paid Boko Haram to Free Abducted Schoolchildren, Teachers – AFP Report

Nigeria Allegedly Paid Boko Haram to Free Abducted Schoolchildren, Teachers – AFP Report

An Agence France‑Presse (AFP) investigation has reported that the Nigerian government may have paid a large ransom to Boko Haram, an extremist group, in exchange for the release of more than 200 abducted schoolchildren and teachers, although government officials reject the claim.

According to multiple intelligence sources cited by AFP, the payment — described as **“huge” and potentially amounting to billions of naira — was delivered to Boko Haram commanders to secure the freedom of victims seized during a November 2025 abduction at St. Mary’s Catholic School, Papiri, in Niger State. The incident saw both pupils and school personnel taken hostage by militants in the country’s northwest.

The purported ransom is reported to total around N10 billion, with sources telling AFP that sums of money may have been passed to insurgents in Borno State, near the border with Cameroon. The funds were allegedly handed over to a Boko Haram commander known locally as Ali Ngulde, who then released the hostages.

AFP’s report claims that, in addition to the cash, two suspected Boko Haram commanders were freed in the course of negotiations, a move that would directly contradict Nigerian law, which forbids ransom payments to kidnappers or terrorists and stipulates penalties for those involved in such transactions.

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However, the Nigerian government has strongly denied that any ransom was paid. Officials — including representatives of the Department of State Services — insist that “government agents don’t pay ransoms,” and that negotiations were conducted without financial settlements.

The differing accounts have ignited debate over how hostage negotiations are handled in Nigeria’s ongoing fight against insurgent groups. Security analysts warn that paying ransom could provide financial incentives for further abductions and strengthen militant groups’ resources, potentially worsening the country’s long‑running security challenges.

Critics of ransom payments argue that rewarding kidnappers with money or prisoner exchanges may embolden criminal networks. Supporters of negotiated releases stress the humanitarian imperative to secure the safe return of innocent victims, particularly children and educators.

The alleged ransom payment, if confirmed, would mark one of the largest such claims involving a government and an extremist group in recent Nigerian history, underscoring the complex balance between security policy, legal constraints, and efforts to protect civilians amid ongoing insurgency and instability.

Nigeria Allegedly Paid Boko Haram to Free Abducted Schoolchildren, Teachers – AFP Report