Aminu Masari, governor of Katsina state, says no ransom was paid to secure the release of the pupils abducted from Government Science Secondary School in Kankara.
Hundreds of the pupils were kidnapped after gunmen attacked their school on December 11.
Seventeen of them who escaped during the attack were found while 344 others in captivity were released and handed over to security agencies on Thursday.
Speaking when he received the freed schoolboys at the government house on Friday, the governor said his administration did not offer a penny to the abductors of the boys for their release.
He said security agencies and members of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) were instrumental in the release of the schoolboys.
“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,” Masari said.
The governor said the schoolboys “have suffered physically and psychologically”. He assured them that they would be properly taken care of before they are reunited with their parents.
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