Fresh details have emerged on how security agencies rescued the abducted students and teachers of Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.
It was gathered that the Oyo students and teachers were rescued without paying a single kobo in ransom or yielding to prisoner exchange demands.
The victims, who spent 56 grueling days in captivity following their abduction in mid-May 2026, were rescued on Friday.
Speaking on the tactical execution of the rescue, Seyi Adetayo, a security expert and former operative of the Department of State Services (DSS), revealed that security forces used an unconventional and aggressive intelligence approach to break the abductors’ resolve.
Rather than playing defense, operatives dismantled the kidnappers’ support networks from the outside in.
Adetayo, while explaining the operation, disclosed that security agents identified the kidnappers’ mothers, wives, children and other close associates as part of the intelligence-led operation to secure the victims’ release.
He added that the operatives arrested the relatives, recorded videos of them, and sent the footage to the abductors as part of the strategy that ultimately led to the victims’ freedom.
He said: “They identified the kidnappers’ mothers, wives, children, and close associates. They arrested them, recorded videos, and sent them to the abductors.”
According to him, security forces relied on intelligence to dismantle the kidnappers’ support network.
He said the operatives cut off the abductors’ supply lines and escape routes, while combining coercive measures with negotiations to secure the victims’ freedom.
Adetayo said the strategy ultimately led to the safe rescue of the pupils and teachers after 56 days in captivity, without the payment of a ransom or a prisoner exchange.
His comments followed the Presidency’s confirmation that the abducted pupils and teachers had been rescued alive during a coordinated security operation.
As earlier reported by PUNCH Online, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said eight suspected kidnappers were arrested while several others were killed during the operation.
According to Onanuga, the rescue was carried out without negotiations or concessions to the abductors, despite their demand for the release of one of their detained leaders.
“In the course of the rescue operation, eight of the kidnappers were arrested and are now in DSS custody, while some of them were neutralised.
“There was no quid pro quo in the rescue as one of the terrorists, a kingpin, whose release the kidnappers demanded, is being prosecuted for his atrocities. The security agencies will give a full account soon,” Onanuga said.
The Nigerian Army, in its statement also revealed how troops, working with other security agencies, rescued Oyo students and teachers.
The Army said the victims regained their freedom following an intelligence-led operation that lasted for more than a month and targeted the kidnappers’ network and hideouts in the Old Oyo National Park and other parts of the country.
According to a statement issued hours after the rescue on Friday by the Acting Deputy Director, 2 Division Army Public Relations, Lt. Col. Danjuma Danjuma, the operation involved troops of the Nigerian Army led by the General Officer Commanding 2 Division, Maj. Gen. Chinedu Nnebeife.
The soldiers worked alongside operatives of other security agencies, the Amotekun Corps, local vigilantes and hunters.
The Army said 44 abducted pupils and teachers were rescued in total.
It explained that the operation focused on identifying the terrorist kingpins behind the abduction, dismantling their logistics network and arresting their informants.
The statement read, “Following an intelligence-led, carefully planned and executed operation on 10 July 2026, troops of the Nigerian Army, led by the General Officer Commanding 2 Division, Nigerian Army, Ibadan, Major General C.R. Nnebeife, in collaboration with special units from the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), specifically the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC), the Defence Headquarters with Special Forces elements from the Nigerian Army, Navy, the Air Force and the Nigeria Police, the Department of State Services (DSS), National Intelligence Agency (NIA), the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and other security agencies, as well as local vigilantes, hunters and Amotekun, in a well-coordinated operation rescued a total of 44 pupils and teachers kidnapped by terrorists from Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State on 15 May 2026.
“The operations, which lasted for more than a month, focused on identifying the terrorist kingpins that masterminded the kidnapping, busting and dismantling their networks and logistics links, including their informants and hideouts located within the Old Oyo National Park Forest, Oyo State.”
According to the Army, several suspects were arrested in Oyo and other states, a development it said disrupted the group’s activities and forced the terrorists to free the captives.
“As part of the operations, multiple arrests were made within Oyo State and in other locations across some states in the country.
“These arrests completely disorganised the group, exerted overwhelming pressure on them and ultimately led the terrorist group to unconditionally release the pupils and teachers. Further operations are to be conducted,” it stated.
The Army added that the operation was carefully executed to ensure the safe rescue of the victims without collateral damage.
“However, there were some casualties on the part of the security forces,” the statement added.
The Army disclosed that the rescued pupils and teachers are receiving medical attention at an undisclosed hospital before being handed over to the Oyo State Government for reunification with their families.
