The Borno State Government has dismissed claims that ransom was paid to secure the release of 360 people rescued from the Mandara Mountains, a known terrorist stronghold in the southern part of the state.
The Commissioner for Information and Internal Security, Usman Tar, refuted the allegation during an appearance on Channels Television's The Morning Brief on Monday, insisting that the victims were freed through a coordinated military operation backed by intelligence.
His remarks followed Sunday's announcement by Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK) that troops had successfully rescued the abductees from a Jama'atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda'awati wal-Jihad (JAS) enclave after weeks of surveillance and operational planning.
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In a statement, the Acting Media Information Officer of OPHK, Lieutenant Colonel Haruna Sani, said the operation was conducted by Special Forces and troops of Sector 1 following extensive intelligence gathering and covert reconnaissance.
According to the military, the rescued victims--comprising men, women and children--had been held under harsh conditions after being abducted from several communities, particularly around the Ngoshe axis.
Reacting to claims that ransom was paid to facilitate their release, Tar strongly denied the allegation and challenged those making such assertions to provide evidence.
"Who paid the ransom? And the ransom was paid to who? Where is the evidence?" he asked.
"We are the operatives on the ground. There was no ransom payment. There was a daring military operation with intelligence support from the DSS that led to the rescue of the 360 citizens. That is the fact on the ground. If there are any counter facts, then you can pursue that."
The commissioner further said the Boko Haram insurgency has evolved from its original ideological roots into what he described as a criminal enterprise sustained by kidnapping and other illicit activities.
"The Boko Haram insurgency started as a result of the ideological mindset of a few individuals who started the campaigns," he said.
"But those individuals have gone. The Boko Haram insurgency has since transmuted into a big business. So that is what is going on right now. And there is no other explanation."
Tar maintained that the state government views the group strictly as a criminal organisation bent on terrorising civilians.
"As far as we are concerned, we are dealing with criminals who are out to vandalise, criminalise and terrorise our people, and we are not going to rest on our oars," he said.
