President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration has been reported to have paid a ransom totalling about N10 billion and also the released of two senior Boko Haram commanders in exchange for the freedom of St. Mary’s pupils, AFP reported while citing sources familiar with the negotiations.
Earlier recall the crisis took an escalated turn in November 2025 when more than 300 students and staff were abducted.
The report which was published on Monday have claimed that the Nigerian government had to pay Boko Haram militants a ‘huge’ ransom running into millions of dollars to secure the release up to 230 children and staff kidnapped from a Catholic school in November 2025.
According to the report, two Boko Haram commanders were also freed, forming part of the arrangement to secure the students’ and staff’s release, a move which has contradicts the government’s stated policy against paying ransom to kidnappers.
AFP have quoted two different sources, stressing that, “the sum of N40 million per head — totaling around $7 million”, while “another put the figure lower at N2 billion overall”.
The $7 million reportedly covered the 230 schoolchildren and an unspecified number of teachers, with figures differing among official sources. At an exchange rate of N1,400 to a dollar, the total comes to about N9.8 billion.
Efforts by the news outlet to reach the president’s spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, for comment were unsuccessful as he did not immediately respond.
However, the report said the office of the National Security Adviser, Ribadu, maintained that he had on several occasions secured the release of hostages without paying ransom to bandits.
On December 21, 2025, the Nigerian government announced the release of 130 schoolchildren and staff of St. Mary’s Catholic School, Papiri, Niger, who were abducted on November 20.
Fifty pupils had earlier escaped between November 21 and 22.
On December 7, the government also announced it had secured the release of 100 of the abducted schoolchildren.
Since his inauguration in 2023, terrorists, bandits and other criminal groups have carried out hundreds of abductions and killings.
Before the Catholic school abduction, 25 girls of Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Kebbi were kidnapped by bandits.
