Did Tinubu’s Govt Pay $7 Million to Terrorists to Release Oyo Schoolchildren, Teachers? Fact Emerges
- A prominent NDC member claimed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's administration paid deadly kidnappers billions for the release of Oyo school victims
- The military and the Nigerian presidency recently confirmed that most of the Oyo abduction victims were rescued, sharing pictures online
- Given that the mass abduction in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo state attracted international attention, Legit.ng decided to fact-check Salako's claim
Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over 5 years of experience in fact-checking.
Ikeja, Lagos state - Ife Salako, a Lagos-based chieftain of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), on Monday, July 20, 2026, claimed that Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported that President Bola Tinubu's administration paid outlaws billions of naira.
The opposition figure stated that the Nigerian government paid the ransom to secure the release of victims abducted in Oyo state.
Source: Twitter
Salako wrote on his verified social media account, with an accompanying video:
“One of the teachers already said the kidnappers freed them and not that the soldiers rescued them.
“Now, AFP is reporting that Tinubu paid kidnappers billions to rescue the Oyo victims.
“Supporters of APC, is this how you much you hate this country?”
The post has been viewed over 10,000 times.
About Oyo school abduction
On Friday, July 10, 2026, Nigeria's military announced that it had rescued over 40 pupils and teachers abducted from schools in Oyo state in May and arrested some of their captors.
The operation was welcomed by many stakeholders in Oyo state and beyond.
The military also disclosed that several security personnel lost their lives during the rescue mission.
Following their release, the victims received medical treatment, and many of them have since returned home to reunite with their families.
Verification of Salako's claim
Legit.ng's review of Salako's post found his claim to be misleading.
The AFP report the NDC chieftain cited, accompanied by a screenshot of a Nigerian media outlet's publication, was not about the Oyo school abduction. Instead, it was a February 2026 investigation concerning the Nigerian government's alleged payment of ransom to Boko Haram for the release of pupils and staff abducted from a Catholic school in Niger state in November 2025.
According to the AFP investigation, the Nigerian government allegedly paid Boko Haram terrorists a "huge" ransom worth millions of dollars to secure the release of up to 230 pupils and staff. The report also claimed that two Boko Haram commanders were released as part of the deal, despite Nigerian law prohibiting ransom payments to kidnappers.
AFP further reported, citing intelligence sources, that the money was delivered by helicopter to Boko Haram's stronghold in Gwoza, Borno state, near the Cameroon border.
But the Nigerian government has since strongly denied the allegations.
Minister of Information Mohammed Idris described AFP's report on the Niger state abduction, which cited intelligence sources, as "completely false and baseless" and said it was a "disservice to the professionalism and integrity" of Nigeria's security forces.
He also quashed claims that two Boko Haram commanders were released as part of any agreement.
See Ife Salako's post on X on the Nigerian abduction below:
Legit.ng's review further showed that the video reposted by Salako to support his claim was originally produced by media personality Adeola Fayehun.
The clip was shared on X by user @NaturalDoris on Sunday, July 19, 2026, with the caption: 'Tinubu Paid Boko Haram $7 Million?!'
@NaturalDoris wrote on her verified X page:
“Breaking News: Tinubu and Nigeria Government paid Boko Haram 10 Billion Naira to free the school children who were kidnapped!
“Nigeria is sitting on a time bomb.”
However, Fayehun's commentary in the video was about the November 2025 school abduction in Niger state, not the Oyo school kidnapping. In the video, she explicitly identified Niger state as the location of the incident during her satirical analysis.
Conclusion on Oyo abduction claim
As of Monday morning, July 20, 2026, there is no AFP report stating that President Tinubu's government paid terrorists to secure the release of the Oyo school abduction victims.
The post amplified by Salako is, therefore, misleading.
FG arraigns Oyo abduction suspects
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that three men were arraigned before the Federal High Court in Abuja on a 10-count charge arising from the abduction of schoolchildren and teachers from schools in Oriire Local Government Area (LGA) of Oyo state.
The defendants, Abdulrazak Umar, Yunusa Musa, and Shamsu Adamu Sani, all of northern Nigerian extraction, are facing counts that include terrorism, kidnapping, concealment of information, incitement, and illegal mining.
Source: Legit.ng
