The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has declined to comment on allegations that the Federal Government reached a secret ceasefire deal with Boko Haram in June 2026.

A report published on Monday by The New Humanitarian alleged that the Federal government and Boko Haram agreed to a ceasefire following negotiations linked to the release of 360 civilians abducted in Ngoshe, Borno State.

The report further alleged that the arrangement involved the payment of N5 billion as ransom, a claim the Federal Government has denied.

The report said the ceasefire had been in effect since June, citing three sources with contacts among Boko Haram members.

It also reported that the arrangement followed negotiations over the release of the abducted civilians, with sources claiming that attacks had reduced in some communities around Ngoshe following the agreement.

Seeking the military’s position, when contacted by The Guardian on Tuesday, Director, Defence Media Operations, Major General Mike Onoja, declined to comment on the report.

The report alleged that the government had engaged intermediaries in negotiations with Boko Haram over the release of hostages.

The Federal Government rejected the allegation of the N5 billion ransom payment.

The reported development comes against the backdrop of Nigeria’s nearly two-decade battle against Boko Haram insurgency in the Northeast.

The conflict, which began in Borno State in 2009, has killed thousands of people, displaced millions and evolved into a complex insurgency involving rival jihadist factions.

Boko Haram split in 2016, with the Islamic State-aligned faction becoming known as the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), while the faction commonly referred to as Boko Haram retained its allegiance to Abubakar Shekau before later reorganising following his death in 2021.

The two groups have since fought each other while also carrying out attacks against Nigerian security forces and civilians.

Successive Nigerian governments have combined military operations with intelligence-led interventions, community engagement and, at various points, attempts to open channels of communication with insurgents, particularly over the release of hostages.

A UNDP assessment estimated that the conflict had caused nearly 350,000 deaths by the end of 2020, although only about 35,000 were direct deaths from battle or one-sided violence, with the remainder attributed to indirect consequences of the conflict.

Separately, the Council on Foreign Relations’ Nigeria Security Tracker recorded 37,530 deaths in incidents involving Boko Haram between June 2011 and June 2018, including civilians, security personnel and insurgents.

SBM Intelligence reported that Boko Haram accounted for about 90% of recorded ransom payments from kidnappings in the Northeast between July 2025 and June 2026, showing that the group’s kidnapping economy remains significant