The Defence Headquarters, DHQ, has disclosed that the recent kidnapping event in Oyo State was carried out by displaced Jama’at Ahl al-Sunna li-Da’wah wa’l-Jihad, JAS, members who fled sustained military activities in Nigeria’s Northeast region.
On Thursday, Punch said that intelligence reports indicated the kidnappers were remnants of terrorist groups that had been driven out of Borno and Yobe states as a result of increased attacks during Operation Hadin Kai, according to the military.
In response to the reported kidnapping of 46 people, including a two-year-old child, from schools in the Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, the DHQ issued the clarification.
The military characterized the incident as an isolated crime and rejected claims that there was a well-established terrorist network in the Southwest, according to a statement made by Maj. Gen. Michael Onoja, Director of Defence Media Operations.
According to Onoja, “The incident was an isolated criminal act and does not reflect the existence of any entrenched terrorist structure in the region. ”
He said that the Armed Forces had earlier conducted significant clearance operations in the Old Oyo National Park and neighboring regions, which resulted in the neutralization of numerous criminal elements and the eradication of their hideouts.
Gen. Olufemi Oluyede, the Chief of Defense Staff, called the abduction “callous and reprehensible” and extended his sympathies to the families of the victims and the Oyo State Government.
The military, according to Oluyede, was deploying every essential operational resource and soldier to guarantee the safe rescue of the kidnapped victims and the capture of those responsible for the assault.
Additionally, the DHQ revealed that soldiers were engaged in live operations in forest regions connected to the kidnappers, with the primary goals of locating the perpetrators and rescuing the victims safely.
Additionally, the military cautioned against circulating stories that might spread fear or exaggerate the presence of terrorist organizations in the Southwest.
Reports alleging that terrorists have established permanent operational bases in the South West are not supported by the intelligence the military possesses, according to Onoja.
He advised citizens to stay calm, alert, and keep assisting security authorities by providing useful information that could help current operations….See More
