TERRORISTS responsible for a recent school abductions have released a disturbing new video alleging that the government did not rescue the kidnapped victims, but instead paid for their release through secret negotiations.
The masked gunmen, who abducted schoolgirls from Maga in Kebbi State, mocked security agencies in the footage, insisting that officials lacked the capacity to launch any successful rescue mission. One of the terrorists, speaking in Hausa, said: “The government could not rescue the children. They negotiated with us.”
Their claims directly contradict official statements from both the Kebbi State Government and the Presidency, which earlier announced that the schoolgirls were “rescued” through coordinated efforts by security operatives.
The video has triggered renewed outrage across the country, coming just hours after Bring Back Our Girls Global (BBOG Global) warned that the habitual negotiation with terrorists and the payment of ransom were deepening Nigeria’s insecurity crisis. The group criticised the government for what it described as a “routine pattern” of quietly striking deals with kidnappers while publicly denying such actions.
Security experts say the terrorists’ confession exposes the widening gap between official narratives and on-ground realities, noting that several high-profile abductions in recent years have ended with questionable “rescues” lacking transparency or arrests.
Despite the startling claims, government authorities have yet to offer clarification or counterevidence. No information has been released about ongoing efforts to apprehend the perpetrators or dismantle their networks.
As insecurity spirals and kidnappings surge nationwide, the revelation underscores the urgent need for transparency, a coherent counter-terrorism strategy, and a decisive end to ransom-driven negotiations that continue to embolden criminal groups.
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