The Federal Government on Tuesday dismissed allegations that it paid a huge ransom or released militant commanders to secure the freedom of schoolchildren abducted from St. Mary’s Boarding School in Niger State.

In a statement by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, the government described the claims circulating in parts of the media and attributed to international wire services as “completely false and baseless.”

The statement said the allegations were a disservice to the professionalism and integrity of Nigeria’s security forces, who it noted make daily sacrifices in the fight against insecurity.

“For the avoidance of doubt, no ransom was paid, and no militant commanders were freed,” the minister stated.

The Federal Government said it respects press freedom but rejected what it called a narrative built on unnamed and shadowy sources.

According to Idris, the claims relied solely on anonymous “intelligence sources” and persons described as “familiar with the talks,” rather than on-the-record statements from constituted authorities.

He noted that the Office of the National Security Adviser, the Department of State Services and the leadership of the National Assembly had all publicly refuted the ransom allegations.

The statement further pointed to what it described as contradictions within the report itself, saying it presented conflicting accounts about the alleged payment.

It also dismissed as fiction the claim that ransom was delivered by helicopter to insurgents, with cross-border confirmation of receipt.

The DSS, according to the minister, had formally described the helicopter claim as “fake and laughable.”

The government maintained that Nigeria is confronting what it termed a structured, profit-driven criminal enterprise and said the successful rescue of the pupils without casualties was achieved through professional intelligence gathering and operational precision.

Reaffirming its commitment to national security, the Federal Government urged media organisations to verify information before publication, warning that speculative reports could embolden criminals and undermine troop morale.