The Borno State Government has dismissed claims that a ransom was paid before the release of 360 abductees from the Mandara Mountains, a notorious terrorist enclave in the southern part of the state.
Usman Tar, Commissioner for Information and Internal Security, conveyed the state government’s position on Channels Television’s Morning Brief programme on Monday.
On Sunday, Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK) announced the rescue of the abductees from a Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad (JAS) enclave.
In a statement, Haruna Sani, Acting Media Information Officer of OPHK, said the operation, which involved Special Forces and troops of Sector 1, followed weeks of intelligence gathering, covert reconnaissance, and operational planning.
Sani said the victims, comprising men, women, and children, had been held under harsh conditions after being abducted from several communities, particularly within the Ngoshe axis.
Tar insisted that the operation was purely intelligence-driven and executed with precision by the military, with support from the Department of State Services (DSS).
“Who paid the ransom? And the ransom was paid to whom? Where is the evidence?” he queried.
“We are the operatives on the ground. There was no ransom payment. There was a daring military operation, with intelligence support from the DSS, that led to the rescue of the 360 citizens. That is the fact on the ground. If there are any counterfacts, then you can pursue that.”
The commissioner argued that the Boko Haram insurgency has evolved beyond its original ideological roots, becoming a criminal enterprise sustained by exploitation and abductions.
“The Boko Haram insurgency is a result of the ideological mindset of a few individuals who started the campaign,” he said.
“But those individuals are gone. The Boko Haram insurgency has since transmuted into a big business. So that is what is going on right now, and there is no other explanation.”
He noted that while public issues are open to debate and people may have differing interpretations of Boko Haram’s activities, the state government views the group as criminals intent on terrorising innocent citizens.
“As far as we are concerned, we are dealing with criminals who are out to vandalise, criminalise and terrorise our people, and we are not going to rest on our oars,” he said.
In a statement issued on Sunday by Dauda Iliya, his Special Adviser on Media, Babagana Zulum, Governor of Borno State, described the operation as a remarkable demonstration of courage, professionalism, and the growing effectiveness of intelligence-led military operations in the fight against insurgency in Nigeria’s north-east.
