FG Denies Paying Ransom for Niger School Pupils
The Federal Government has denied reports that it paid ransom to secure the release of pupils abducted from St. Mary’s Boarding School in Niger State.
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, made the denial in a statement issued this Tuesday, describing the allegation as completely false and baseless.
Idris said no ransom was paid and no militant commanders were released, contrary to claims in a report by Agence France-Presse, which cited unnamed intelligence sources.
He added that the Office of the National Security Adviser, the Department of State Services and the leadership of the National Assembly had all refuted the claims, stressing that the pupils were rescued through professional intelligence and operational precision.
