A new video circulating on social media has cast doubt on government claims that no ransom or negotiation was involved in the release of abducted students from Government Girls Secondary School, Maga, Kebbi State.
The footage, shared by user @AM_Saleeem on X, shows armed men addressing the schoolgirls shortly before their release. In the video, one of the abductors boasts that security forces failed to rescue the girls through military action, forcing federal and state officials to seek negotiations.
“The government could not free you with force. They came to us and negotiated,” the bandit says in the clip.
The armed men also question the students about their experience in captivity. They ask whether they were starved or subjected to violence, to which the girls respond “no.” The kidnappers further inquire about the military aircraft seen during the abduction period, with the students stating that several jets and helicopters flew over the forest but were too numerous to count.
The abductors present themselves as acting under a “peace deal,” with one of them assuring the girls that they would be returned home safely. The video ends with another gunman mocking the Nigerian government, declaring that the release was made possible only because of negotiations.
The footage emerged just hours after Kebbi State governor Nasir Idris and Minister of State for Defence Bello Matawalle confirmed that all abducted students had regained their freedom, with officials maintaining that no ransom was paid.
The victims were kidnapped after armed men attacked their school, killing the vice-principal. Following their release, the girls were seen aboard a bus smiling as they were transported to Birnin Kebbi, the state capital. Authorities say the students will be reunited with their families on Wednesday.