We didn't pay $21m for Chibok girls - Presidency, Military

The Presidency on Saturday denied paying $21million to the leadership of terrorist group Boko Haram for the recent release of 21 Chibok girls.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu said in a statement in Abuja that the Buhari administration has no such money to pay as ransom, even as negotiations are ongoing for the release of the remaining Chibok girls.

There have been claims in some sections of the press that the alleged $21m ransom is responsible for the resurgence of Boko Haram attacks in the northeast.

“Over the past few days, some newspaper reports ascribing the recent terrorist attacks in Borno State to the government’s negotiation of the release of 21 Chibok girls, with a particular report alleging the exchange of US$21 million for the girls are false and should be disregarded by members of the public. This loose talk is journalism at its most irresponsible and it’s most dismaying.

“As a responsible government that is run on the basis of the constitution and budgets duly appropriated by the National Assembly, we have no such money under any allocation to pay out this outrageous sum of money as ransom.

“Beyond the call of journalism, the newspaper making this charge has a national duty to point how and where this money was paid, and to supply leads as to where the “powerful weapons” were bought by the terrorists.”

In a statement issued by the Acting Director, Defence Information, Brig. General Rabe Abubakar in Abuja, the Defence Headquarters decried the attempt by a national newspaper to undermine national security by publishing the false and unsubstantiated story.

“The DHQ wishes to once more remind the media to be cautious of such reports which has serious implication on national security and to further add that, as partners in progress, the media also has a stake in the ongoing efforts to restore lasting peace in the North East and the country in general," he said.