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FG reportedly paid $13M for the release of Chibok girls

The Federal Government reportedly paid a sum of $13m to secure the release of some of the kidnapped Chibok girls.

President Buhari and VP Osinbajo receive released Chibok Girls

In a recent report by Punch Newspaper, the insurgents reportedly demanded $50million as ransom for the Chibok girls but the FG paid only a quarter of the sum.

The report also revealed that the ransom was paid in two currencies – the naira and the CFA Francs to the leaders of the sect to facilitate the release of the girls.

This is coming despite denials by the Federal Government that money was paid to the sect to secure the release of the abducted girls.

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A military source told Punch that it is unfortunate that the government's desperation to secure the release of the girls saw the FG yielding to the demands of the insurgents.

“It is unfortunate that in government’s desperation to secure the release of the Chibok girls, it has put our (soldiers’) lives in danger by yielding to the demands of the group to collect a ransom and secure the release of its commanders.

“It is now obvious that the group has reinforced and bought more weapons to fight us.”

“Funds were given to Boko Haram and now we can all see the result of that action; there have been renewed attacks recently and many of our men have been killed in the process but we will not relent, we will continue to do our best to secure this nation.

“The military had reservations about the arrangement but it was not in our hands; it was a political decision that we had to abide with and it was the DSS that was directly in charge of the operation,” the source disclosed.

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The military sources insisted that Boko Haram did not release the girls without getting anything in return and that the Federal Government indeed paid a ransom.

In April 2014, 200 girls were abducted from their school in Chibok, Borno State by men of the Boko Haram insurgents.

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