Katsina State Governor Aminu Masari said on Thursday night that no ransom was paid to free over 300 abducted students of Government Science Secondary School, Kankara.
The governor had earlier said the boys were at Tsafe, Zamfara State, and would be transported to Kankara on Friday.
In an interview with DWTV Hausa at 10pm on Thursday, Masari said no ransom was paid before the boys were released.
“We did not pay ransom to the kidnappers, it was purely negotiation,” he said.
Explaining how the boys were released, he said: “One hour ago, Nigerian soldiers and government officials that were involved in the negotiation for the release of the kidnapped schoolboys have told us that the whole school children have been released, 344 of them.
“Those involved in the negotiation include my adviser, some top military and police operatives, members of Miyetti Allah; (they) were all involved in the negotiation.”
He also said those who abducted the boys were not Boko Haram fighters.
“They are bandits who kidnapped the schoolboys, not Boko Haram,” he said.
Boko Haram had released a video earlier on Thursday claiming to have the boys in their custody.
