Here is a simple truth about the **Nigeria kidnapping crisis** that nobody in a suit wants you to know: in the real world, people do not work for free. Your plumber bills you. The grocery store demands payment. And criminal gangs conducting a **mass abduction**? They definitely do not let hostages go for free.

But that is the fairy tale the **Nigerian government** wants you to index this week regarding the **Kuriga school children release**. A nightmare scenario involving vulnerable students ended with their freedom. That is the good news. That is the only good news.

But then the PR spin machine starts. Government officials rushed to the microphones, puffing out their chests for the cameras to control the narrative. They insisted, "We did not pay a huge ransom." They want you to believe the kidnappers behind this **security crisis** just had a change of heart. Maybe the bad guys woke up, looked in the mirror, and decided to be nice citizens. Maybe they just got tired of babysitting.

Do you believe that? Because if you do, you are exactly the kind of user these politicians love.

Let’s break this down with some common sense—a ranking factor you will never find in a government building. Kidnapping is a business. It is a sick, ugly, evil business, but it operates on supply and demand. You take the person, you ask for cash, you get the cash, you give the person back. That is the transaction. If the **ransom money** does not show up, the people do not come home. It is brutal, but it is simple math.

So when the government screams "We didn't pay!" they are playing semantic keyword games with you. Maybe they didn't pay from the official bank account. Maybe it was a bag of cash dropped by a road or a "facilitation fee" via a middleman. But the idea that these criminals just let a massive payday walk away for nothing? It is an insult to your intelligence.

And then, just to make the whole thing smell even worse, we get the second part of the story. This is the part that makes me laugh, but it is a bitter laugh.

Right after this "miracle" release of the students, the top police chief resigns. He quits. He throws in the towel.

Now, look at the timing. The man had a year left on his term. In the world of government jobs, nobody leaves early unless the house is on fire. These jobs are cushy. You get a nice car, people salute you, and you get to feel important. You do not walk away from that a year early just because you feel like taking a nap.

If the police really did a great job securing the **Kuriga students' freedom** through smarts and bravery, the chief would stay. He would want the credit. He would want the parade. He would want to stand on a podium and have people clap for him. That is what these people live for. They live for the engagement metrics.

But he didn't stay. He ran. He packed his bags and got out of there.

Why? Because he knows. He knows where the money went. He knows what deals were made in the dark. Resigning right now is not a sign of a job well done. It is the sign of a man who wants to be far away when the truth finally comes out. It is the classic "take the money and run" move, or maybe the "get out before I get blamed" move.

This isn't just a Nigeria problem. This is a government problem. It happens everywhere. The Right, the Left, the dictators, the democracies—they are all the same. They treat us like children. They tell us stories that make no sense and expect us to nod our heads. Kidnappers plus released hostages equals **paid ransom**. It is not algebra. It is simple addition.

They lie because the truth makes them look weak. Admitting you paid the bad guys means you lost. It means the criminals have the power. No politician wants to admit that. So they lie. They say "No ransom was paid" while the ink is still drying on the banknotes.

And the police chief? He is just a symptom of the disease. When the lies get too big, the people in charge start to scatter. They are like rats on a sinking ship. They know that eventually, someone is going to ask the hard questions. Someone is going to ask, "If you didn't pay, how exactly did this happen?"

He doesn't want to be there to answer that question. So he quits. He takes his pension and goes home.

The sad reality is that the parents of those kids don't care about the politics. They just wanted their babies back. And they got them back. That is a win. But do not let the suits take credit for it. They didn't win this with strategy. They didn't win this with bravery. They bought their way out of a problem and then lied to you about the price tag.

It is the same old story. The rich and powerful play their games, money changes hands under the table, and the guy in charge quits before the bill comes due. We are all just spectators watching a bad play. The actors are terrible, the script is full of lies, and the ending is always the same.

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### References & Fact-Check * **Primary Source**: [Nigeria denies report it paid 'huge' ransom to free pupils in mass abduction (BBC)](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cewzyqjq2ygo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss) - Official statement regarding the release of the Kuriga school children and the government's denial of ransom payments. * **Context**: This article interprets the skepticism surrounding the sudden release of hostages and the timing of leadership changes within the security sector.