The Borno State Government has denied allegations that ransom was paid to secure the release of 360 people abducted in the Mandara Mountains area, insisting instead that they were rescued through a coordinated military operation.

Officials say the victims were freed during an intelligence-driven mission and not through any form of payment to their captors.

The Commissioner for Information and Internal Security, Usman Tar, made the clarification during an appearance on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, where he stressed that the operation was executed by the military with support from the Department of State Services (DSS).

He questioned claims that money changed hands, asking who supposedly received the ransom and demanding evidence to support such reports.

“Who paid the ransom? And the ransom was paid to whom? Where is the evidence?” he said, firmly rejecting the allegations.

Tar maintained that no ransom payment was involved, insisting that the rescue was the outcome of a carefully planned intelligence-led military operation.

“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 counterfacts, then you can pursue that,” he added.

According to military sources, the operation was carried out under Operation Hadin Kai and involved special forces who acted on weeks of intelligence gathering and operational planning.

The abductees, which included men, women, and children, were reportedly held under harsh conditions after being taken from several communities around the Ngoshe axis.

Security officials identified the group responsible as Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad (JAS), a faction linked to Boko Haram.

The Mandara Mountains area has long served as a hideout for armed groups operating in the region.

Tar further described Boko Haram as having evolved into a criminal network rather than an ideological movement.

“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.”

He added that the government now views the attackers as criminals and pledged continued military operations aimed at dismantling their activities across the region.