Information minister denies ransom for Dapchi girls' claim

Information minister denies ransom for Dapchi girls' claim

Mohammed refuted the claim that ransom was paid for the release of Dapchi schoolgirls saying it's a mere conjecture without evidence.

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Mohammed refuted the claim that ransom was paid for the release of Dapchi schoolgirls saying it's a mere conjecture without evidence.

 (NAN)

Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has denied claims that the Federal Government paid a ransom to get Dapchi schoolgirls released from Boko Haram's captivity.

Mohammed refuted the claim saying it's a mere conjecture without evidence to support its authenticity.

In a statement on Thursday, August 16, 2018, the minister said ”It is not enough to say that Nigeria paid a ransom, little or huge. There must be a conclusive evidence to support such claim.

“Without that, the claim remains what it is: a mere conjecture.”

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A grab from a video released in January 2018 by Islamist militant group Boko Haram shows some of the schoolgirls abducted from the northeast Nigerian town of Chibok in 2014

 (BOKO HARAM/AFP/File)

Earlier, the United Nations had claimed in a report that the Nigerian Government paid a huge ransom to Boko Haram for the release of the abducted Dapchi schoolgirls.

Red Cross says it wasn't involved in Boko Haram negotiations

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has said that it was not involved in negotiating the release of the Dapchi and Chibok school girls.

According to the Red Cross, reports saying that it was involved in the negotiations for the release of the abducted girls are false.

This was made known to newsmen by the Communication Coordinator of ICRC Nigeria, Aleksandra Mosimann.

Mosimann said that the international organization only played a neutral role as an intermediary.

On Monday, February 19, 2018, Boko Haram invaded Government Girls Secondary School in Dapchi, Yobe state and kidnapped over 100 girls.

Also, in April 2014, the sect raided Government Secondary School in Chibok, Borno state and kidnapped over 200 girls.