Femi Ashekun/
The Nigerian Army has revealed for the first time that members of the security forces suffered casualties during the month-long operation that secured the freedom of all the pupils and teachers abducted from schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, a significant detail omitted from the earlier announcements by the Presidency.
The disclosure came on Friday in a detailed statement by the Acting Deputy Director, 2 Division Army Public Relations, Lieutenant Colonel Danjuma Jonah Danjuma, who gave the fullest official account yet of the painstaking operation that ended the 56-day captivity of the victims.
The revelation adds a new dimension to the successful rescue mission, highlighting the sacrifices made by personnel from multiple security agencies who ensured that every surviving hostage was brought out alive.
While the Presidency had earlier confirmed that all the kidnapped pupils and teachers had been rescued and later disclosed that eight suspected kidnappers were arrested while others were neutralised, it made no mention of casualties suffered by security personnel during the operation.
Lieutenant Colonel Danjuma said the operation was deliberately designed to prioritise the safety of the hostages, even at considerable risk to the troops involved.
“It suffices to note that the operations were carefully planned and executed to avoid collateral damages and to equally ensure that the innocent children and teachers were safely rescued. However, there were some casualties on the part of the security forces,” the Army spokesman stated.
He did not disclose the number of personnel killed or injured or identify the affected security agencies.
According to the Army, the rescue followed “intelligence-led carefully planned and executed operations” carried out on July 10 by troops of the Nigerian Army led by the General Officer Commanding 2 Division, Major General CR Nnebeife, working alongside special units coordinated by the Office of the National Security Adviser through the National Counter Terrorism Centre.
The operation also involved Special Forces elements from the Nigerian Army, the Nigerian Navy and the Nigerian Air Force, as well as personnel of the Nigeria Police Force, the Department of State Services, the National Intelligence Agency, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Amotekun operatives, local vigilantes and hunters.
The Army said all 44 abducted pupils and teachers kidnapped by terrorists from Oriire Local Government Area on May 15 were rescued.
According to the statement, the operation lasted for more than a month and focused on identifying the terrorist kingpins behind the mass abduction before dismantling their network.
“The operations, which lasted for more than a month, focused on identifying the terrorists kingpins that masterminded the kidnapping, bursting and dismantling their networks and logistics links, including their informants and hideouts located within the Old Oyo National Park Forest, Oyo State,” Danjuma said.
The Army disclosed that multiple arrests were made both within Oyo State and in other parts of the country, a development it said crippled the criminal network.
“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 disorganized 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,” the statement added.
Earlier on Friday, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, had disclosed that eight suspected kidnappers were arrested during the operation and were being held by the DSS, while several others were neutralised.
He also dismissed speculation that the Federal Government negotiated with the abductors.
“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, that the kidnappers demanded his release, is being prosecuted for his atrocities. The security agencies will give full account soon,” Onanuga wrote on X.
His statement confirmed that despite reported demands by the kidnappers for the release of one of their leaders facing prosecution, the government refused to make concessions or pay ransom before securing the hostages’ freedom.
The Army’s account also indicates that sustained intelligence operations and coordinated arrests played a decisive role in forcing the kidnappers to abandon their captives.
The rescued pupils and teachers are currently receiving medical attention at an undisclosed hospital before being handed over to the Oyo State Government for reunion with their families.
The abduction occurred on May 15 when heavily armed terrorists attacked Community Grammar School, Baptist Nursery and Primary School and L.A. Primary School in the Ahoro-Esiele and Yawota communities of Oriire Local Government Area near Ogbomoso.
During the victims’ captivity, one of the abducted teachers was reportedly killed, prompting President Bola Tinubu to order an intensified rescue operation, approve the deployment of a specialised rescue unit and authorise the recruitment of 1,000 forest guards for Oyo State in collaboration with the state government.
The Army used the opportunity to thank President Tinubu for providing “strategic guidance, support and all the provisions that made the operations a huge success.”
It also expressed appreciation to Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu, the Minister of Defence, the Chief of Defence Staff, the Chief of Army Staff, other Service Chiefs, the Inspector-General of Police, the Directors-General of the DSS and NIA, as well as other participating security agencies for what it described as seamless inter-agency coordination throughout the operation.
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