Mirian Gom 
BORNO, Nigeria – The Borno State Government has dismissed claims that ransom was paid to secure the release of 360 abductees rescued from the Mandara Mountains, insisting the operation was carried out solely through military action and intelligence support.
Commissioner for Information and Internal Security, Usman Tar, made the clarification on Monday during an appearance on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, a day after Operation Hadin Kai announced the successful rescue of the victims.
The rescued abductees, comprising men, women and children, were reportedly held in a Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad (JAS) enclave in the Mandara Mountains after being abducted from communities around the Ngoshe axis.
According to Operation Hadin Kai, the rescue followed weeks of intelligence gathering, covert surveillance and detailed operational planning involving Special Forces and troops of Sector 1.
Rejecting reports of ransom payments, Tar challenged those making the claims 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.”
Tar said the operation demonstrated the effectiveness of collaboration between the military and intelligence agencies in combating insurgency and protecting civilians.
He also argued that the Boko Haram insurgency has evolved from its original ideological roots into a criminal enterprise driven largely by abduction and exploitation.
“The Boko Haram insurgency has since transmuted into a big business,” he said.
The commissioner maintained that the state government views members of the insurgent group as criminals whose activities are aimed at terrorising communities and disrupting lives.
“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,” Tar said.
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Korede Abdullah 
Oluwatobi Adu